Washington, DC - I want to thank Representative Donna Christian-Christensen and the National AIDS treatment project for having this important briefing.  It is my honor to co-sponsor this event.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) and HIV coinfection is a serious and emerging health threat.  According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 25% of HIV-infected persons in the United States are also infected with HCV.  And while the exact number of persons who may be affected with HCV in New York are not known, we do know that there are 77,000 people in New York State who have HIV/AIDS.  Therefore, there may be at least 19,000 people in my state who are currently affected by this dual threat.   

And as we move from New York to the global stage, we must not forget the growing worldwide pandemic of HIV/AIDS.  Throughout the world, struggling health care systems are working to combat the many opportunistic infections which often aggravate the course of  HIV/AIDS.  We must not forget that many people who die with AIDS actually die from the effects of highly treatable and often preventable opportunistic infections.  We can prolong life and greatly improve the quality of life if we redouble our efforts to actively and aggressively prevent and treat malaria, tuberculosis and hepatitis.

Here at home, we can greatly improve our response to HIV/HCV coinfection by funding additional research to determine the exact  nature of  the viral interaction between HIV and HCV; the effect and efficacy of medications used to treat HIV or HCV; and the development of a useful protocol to treat this deadly coinfection.

I know that I may be overly optimistic, but I believe that we must continue to push forward on these issues and demand attention and funding. Despite the fact that we are told there is a budget deficit, those of us who are concerned about alleviating human suffering and responding to human need cannot afford to forget about this important public health problem.