[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 78 (Thursday, June 7, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1057-E1058]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         HIV/AIDS COMMEMORATION

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. BENJAMIN A. GILMAN

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, June 7, 2001

  Mr. GILMAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the 20th 
anniversary of the HIV/AIDS pandemic, a disease which is devastating 
both in scope and severity.
  The past decade has seen approximately 40,000 new cases of HIV/AIDS 
each year. In the U.S., the disease continues to ravage countless 
communities, and the worldwide statistics are staggering, as well. One 
out of

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every 100 people on the planet is afflicted with AIDS, about 53 million 
people are living with HIV, and 17 million have died.
  It must be noted that a great deal of progress has been made in the 
past twenty years. In the 80's, individual activists and groups such as 
the then-Human Rights Campaign Fund, tirelessly attempted to educate 
the public about HIV/AIDS. This was a task made all the more daunting 
by the incredible stigma attached to the disease. Misconceptions about 
how the disease was transmitted, backlash from religious conservatives, 
and a general fear fueled discrimination and hostility toward people 
with HIV and AIDS. However, the efforts of activist groups gradually 
began to pay off.
  The Ryan White Care Act, which eventually became law, was the first 
major government investment in treating people with HIV/AIDS. Barred 
from school because of his HIV infection, the public battle of White 
helped turn the national spotlight on the disease. Needle-exchange 
programs were launched in cities throughout the United States. And now, 
research funding has shed hope in the new vaccine trails.
  Despite these glimmers of hope, we have far from exhausted all of our 
efforts. With AIDS ranking as the top cause of death for people between 
the ages of 25 and 44, and the recent explosion among African-American 
communities, it is clear that more needs to be done to expand our AIDS 
education. Indeed, it has been shown that despite increases in 
knowledge about AIDS, Americans still exhibit many dangerous 
information gaps.
  Internationally, the situation is equally dire. In some nations, an 
astounding quarter of the entire population is infected with HIV. 
African countries face a particularly steep uphill battle, and the 
precipitous prices of antiretroviral drugs are only aggravating the 
global plight. These drugs, which currently represent the only hope for 
people living with HIV/AIDS, cost more than the per-capita income of 
many developing countries.
  Our Nation must continue to make funding for the treatment, research, 
and prevention of HIV/AIDS a top priority. A comprehensive approach is 
needed in order to render the HIV/AIDS crisis a thing of the past.
  I request that the attached summary of the AIDS/HIV facts and figures 
compiled by my staff be included at this point of the Record.

                       AIDS/HIV Facts and Figures

       Casualty Rates: 17 million Africans have lost their lives 
     to AIDS out of the 22 million worldwide; mortality rate 
     rising: 2.2 million Africans died of AIDS in 1999, 2.4 
     million in 2000; and more than 5 million affected with HIV in 
     the year 2000, 4 million from Africa.
       Sub-Saharan Africa makes up 10% of the world's population 
     but makes up more than 70% of the worldwide total of infected 
     people. 1.1% overall infection rate worldwide with 8.8% in 
     Sub-Sahara Africa.
       19% of Deaths in Africa caused by HIV/AIDS in 1998 (next 
     highest was malaria at 10%)
       Adults HIV Infection rates (%): Botswana, 35.80%; Zimbabwe, 
     25.06%; South Africa, 19.94%; and Senegal, 1.77% (active AIDS 
     policy).
       UNAIDS projects that half or more of all 15 year-olds will 
     die of AIDS in some of the worst-affected countries.
       Only region where women are infected with HIV at a higher 
     rate than men: 53% Women infected in Sub-Saharn Africa; 37% 
     Caribbean; and 20% North America.
       An estimatd 600,000 African infants become infected with 
     HIV each year through mother to child transmission.
       12.1 million African children have lost either mother or 
     father or both to AIDS.
       Uganda--succeeded in lowering infection rates from 14% in 
     1989 to 8% by 1997, mostly by employing a public awareness 
     campaign
       Fiscal Amounts to combat HIV/AID: FY 2001: $300 Million 
     apportioned; and FY 2002: $396 Million (President's Request).
       Hyde Bill: FY 2002: $469 Million plus $50 Million for pilot 
     treatment program for a total of $519 Million. FY 2003: $469 
     Million plus $50 Million for pilot treatment program for a 
     total of $519 Million.
       Information supplied by Congressional Research Service.

       

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