World AIDS Day
World AIDS Day affords us an opportunity to reflect on our progress in fight against the global AIDS pandemic and to rededicate ourselves to ending the disease once and for all.
We have come a long way since the first World AIDS Day in 1988. With my district of San Francisco leading the charge, we have dramatically expanded investments in HIV/AIDS prevention, care, treatment, and research. Strong advocacy has paved the way for the Ryan White Act, the Housing Opportunities for People with AIDS Initiative, growing investments in NIH research, and an end to the ban on federal funds for syringe exchange. Beyond our borders, our efforts have extended care to millions in the developing world, through increased resources for PEPFAR and the Global Fund.
Our investments have saved lives – preventing millions of new HIV cases, expanding access to improved treatments, and enabling medical advances that help HIV/AIDS patients live longer and healthier. Here and across the globe, AIDS deaths are on the decline – with UNAIDS estimating that 700,000 deaths were averted last year. Studies are pointing the way to new ways to limit the spread of the disease, with treatment as prevention. Yet, while our efforts have grown, we still only reach half of all people eligible for HIV treatment; and more must be done.
Working together, we must continue to strengthen – not weaken – our national and international efforts to combat AIDS and other infectious diseases. We must work to achieve the Obama Administration’s goal of an AIDS-free generation. We must honor the memory of those we have lost and act on our hope, optimism, and determination to end the HIV/AIDS pandemic.
