110 HCON 265 IH: Supporting the goals and ideals of World
U.S. House of Representatives
2007-12-04
text/xml
EN
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Whereas globally, the Joint United Nations Programme on
HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS
) estimates that since the identification of
AIDS in 1981, about 65,000,000 people have been infected with HIV, and more
than 25,000,000 people have died of AIDS;
Whereas UNAIDS estimated that at the end of 2007, the AIDS
pandemic had killed 2,100,000 people while 33,200,000 people were living with
HIV worldwide and of whom 2,500,000 people were newly infected;
Whereas UNAIDS estimates that in 2007, 330,000 children
under the age of 15 died from AIDS, while 2,500,000 children were living with
HIV, 90 percent of whom reside in Sub-Saharan Africa;
Whereas UNAIDS estimates that each day 1,800 children
under the age of 15 become newly infected with HIV and only 8 percent of
pregnant women worldwide receive services to prevent HIV transmission to their
newborns;
Whereas globally, women are facing rising incidence rates,
accounting for 15,400,000 infections and half of the adult population living
with HIV/AIDS;
Whereas developing countries continue to bear the brunt of
the AIDS pandemic with Sub-Saharan Africa serving as the home of 68 percent of
all adults and children living with HIV, 60 percent are women and girls;
Whereas in the United States, the Center for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC
) estimates that over one million
people are living with HIV/AIDS, of whom 25 percent do not know they are
infected;
Whereas despite the fact that African-Americans comprise
approximately 13 percent of the American population, the CDC estimates that in
2005 they accounted for 44 percent of all persons living with AIDS and 49
percent of the estimated 37,331 new HIV/AIDS diagnosis;
Whereas the CDC estimates that in 2005 women represented
26 percent of all new HIV/AIDS infections with African-American women 25 times
more likely to be infected than white women and accounting for 64 percent of
all women living with HIV/AIDS;
Whereas according to the CDC, in 2005, 4,883 people age
13–24 were newly diagnosed with HIV/AIDS, with African-Americans
disproportionately affected and accounting for 55 percent of all HIV infections
reported among young persons;
Whereas in order to address the HIV/AIDS epidemic in the
United States, in 2006 the Ryan White CARE Act was reauthorized as the Ryan
White HIV/AIDS Treatment Modernization Act, making Federal funds available to
United States metropolitan areas, States, and service providers to assist
affected families and persons living with HIV/AIDS with healthcare and support
services;
Whereas to further focus attention on the HIV/AIDS
epidemic among minority communities in the United States, in 1998, Congress and
the Clinton administration created the Minority AIDS Initiative to provide
funds to State and local institutions and organization to best serve the
healthcare costs and support needs of racial and ethnic minorities living with
HIV/AIDS;
Whereas to address the global HIV/AIDS epidemic, in 2000,
Congress passed the Global AIDS and Tuberculosis Relief Act, providing the
first contribution and the founding framework for what became the Global Fund
to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria, which provides grants to developing
countries to combat HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria;
Whereas since the Global Fund was created in 2002 donors
have pledged more than $10,000,000,000 in funding, of which $3,000,000,000 has
been donated by the United States;
Whereas as of mid-2007, the Global Fund has supported
treatment to over 1,100,000 people for HIV/AIDS, directly observed treatment
(DOTS
) to 2,800,000 people for tuberculosis, and over 30,000,000
insecticide treated bednets to fight malaria;
Whereas in order to further address the global HIV/AIDS
epidemic, in 2003, Congress authorized the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS
Relief (PEPFAR
) to authorize $15,000,000,000 over 5 years to
combat the global AIDS epidemic in 15 focus countries, the largest public
health initiative in history launched by a single country to fight a single
disease;
Whereas, between fiscal years 2004 and 2008, PEPFAR
programs aim to support care for 10,000,000 HIV-affected people, including
children orphaned by AIDS; support the prevention of 7,000,000 new HIV
infections; and help 2,000,000 people receive antiretroviral treatment;
Whereas, between fiscal years 2004 and 2007, Congress
provided nearly $13,500,000,000 for U.S. global HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and
malaria programs;
Whereas of March 31, 2007, PEPFAR has supported the
treatment of 1,100,000 people and as of September 2006, has supported the
prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission during more than 6,000,000
pregnancies and has facilitated care for nearly 4,500,000 people, including
more than 2,000,000 orphans and vulnerable children;
Whereas, in 2001, representatives and heads of state of
189 countries, including the United States, convened at the first-ever Special
Session of the United Nations General Assembly on HIV/AIDS and unanimously
adopted the Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS;
Whereas the UN Declaration of Commitment outlines
prevention, treatment, and funding methods for achieving the Millennium
Development Goal of halting and beginning to reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS by
2015;
Whereas, in 2006, the United Nations General Assembly
convened a High Level Meeting on AIDS, pledging to move toward the goal of
universal access of comprehensive prevention programs, treatment, care, and
support by 2010;
Whereas the concept of World AIDS Day originated at the
1988 World Summit of Ministers of Health on Programmes for AIDS Prevention and
was established to focus attention on the HIV/AIDS pandemic; and
Whereas December 1, is now recognized as World AIDS Day
and has been taken up by governments, international organizations, and
charities around the world: Now, therefore, be it
That the Congress—
(1)supports the goals and ideals of World AIDS
Day and recognizes the twentieth anniversary of observing this day;
(2)commends the President, State and local
governments, including their public health agencies, for recognizing this day,
for publicizing its importance among their communities, and for encouraging
individuals to undergo testing for HIV;
(3)supports continued funding for prevention,
care, treatment services, and research programs for persons living with
HIV/AIDS in the United States including through the Ryan White HIV/AIDS
Treatment Modernization Act, the Minority HIV/AIDS Initiative, the Centers for
Disease Control, the National Institutes of Health, the Substance Abuse and
Mental Health Services Administration, the Office of Minority Health, and the
Office of the Secretary of Health and Human Services;
(4)supports continued funding for the
President’s Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief, and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS,
Tuberculosis, and Malaria to provide prevention, care, and treatment to combat
HIV/AIDS in developing countries;
(5)supports the goal of providing universal
access to comprehensive prevention, treatment, care, and support programs by
2010; and
(6)supports efforts to address the factors
that make populations vulnerable to HIV/AIDS by decreasing poverty, hunger,
childhood mortality, and by empowering women.