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Statement by Mike Leavitt Secretary of Health and Human Services Regarding World AIDS DayWorld AIDS Day 2005 reminds us of the tragic scope of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, the advances we have made -- and, most importantly, the work yet to be done. We in this department and across the federal government, under President Bush�s leadership in the fight against AIDS, mark this day with a renewed commitment. The scope is clear. Since 1981, AIDS has claimed the lives of more than 20 million people. It has reached around the world, and there is hardly a demographic group that is without some cases. Worldwide, more than 40 million people live with the virus. It is also clear we have made much progress. At one time, a diagnosis of being HIV-positive was tantamount to a death sentence. Now, because of advances in drug treatments and other medical care, those who are HIV-positive can have many active and productive years. But we have much yet to do. In 2004, between 4.6 million and 6.4 million people worldwide became infected -- more than in any year before. In the United States, more than 1 million people live with the disease, and one-quarter of them do not realize they are infected. These facts amount to a worldwide call to renewed action against HIV/AIDS. So the Department of Health and Human Services takes as its World AIDS Day theme this year, �Action Makes a Difference.� Our actions take many forms:
However, we know this department is part of broader administration efforts. HHS staff members work with state and local groups and with other federal agencies, including the State Department�s Office of the Global AIDS Coordinator, which leads implementation of the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. The Emergency Plan embraces all resources and international activities of the U.S. government to combat the global HIV/AIDS pandemic, including U.S. bilateral programs and U.S. contributions to multilateral initiatives. In addition, today President Bush announced the Emergency Plan�s New Partners Initiative to help faith-based and community organizations in the developing world have access to American assistance, with grants for prevention and care services. As the Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS points out, we must commit ourselves to victory. The virus is a tenacious adversary, but it is preventable and treatable, and it cannot be accepted as inevitable. As long as HIV/AIDS remains, we will continue to take action against it -- because we know action makes a difference. |
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Last revised: December 1, 2005