[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 93 (Thursday, July 11, 2002)]
[House]
[Page H4533]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         HIV AND AIDS IN AFRICA

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Payne) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, let me begin by commending the gentlewoman 
from California (Ms. Lee) for the outstanding work that she has done in 
her tireless efforts to bring to the attention of America, the 
Congress, and the world the need for us to do much more as relates to 
the HIV and AIDS pandemic; and also the gentlewoman from the Virgin 
Islands (Mrs. Christensen), a physician, who also has been spearheading 
this. Let me commend them for attending the 14th International 
Conference on AIDS where the question of HIV and AIDS, of course, was 
the center of discussion.
  It has been indicated that AIDS will kill at least 68 million people 
by 2020 unless rich nations invest far more in global prevention, says 
a report that was released last week. It is now clear to me that we 
have only seen the beginning of the worst epidemic in human history, 
says Peter Piot, Director of the joint United Nations program for HIV 
and AIDS, UNAIDS. He said that the disease will not only destabilize 
Africa but it will affect economic and political stability worldwide, 
particularly when the epidemic begins to peak in the most populated 
countries, such as China, India, and Russia.
  The UNAIDS update, released ahead of the planned meeting that started 
on July 7 in Barcelona, indicates the number will grow to 40 million 
people worldwide, there has been a jump of 6 million cases, new cases, 
in 2 years, and that the infection rate continues to steadily rise in 
India, China, Russia, and Eastern Europe.
  So we have a very, very serious situation. This terrorism is far more 
deadly than anything we could ever imagine. As we have indicated, the 
numbers are staggering, and AIDS is ripping through every continent 
destroying everything in its path. But let me concentrate a bit on 
Africa.
  Botswana is currently experiencing the worst of the pandemic, with 
over 30 percent of its population affected. South Africa has also been 
hard hit. It is estimated that one out of three adults are infected. We 
have seen, to date, with President Mbeki, that there currently is 
really no national agenda to deal with the problem. We have seen 
statistics from Zimbabwe which say that 35 percent of that population 
has been infected with HIV and AIDS.
  In many instances, the largest number of victims are from the public 
service sector: teachers, civil servants. So we can imagine what that 
will mean for most of the developed world when we are losing the 
leaders in those countries, with 14 percent of the teachers in South 
Africa infected. The rate is expected to increase to 30 percent in 10 
years. So we have a very, very serious problem.
  What we need to do, though, is to increase the amount of funds that 
are available. On the eve of the G8 meeting, President Bush announced a 
new initiative to address the pandemic through a pledge of an 
additional $500 million over 3 years to help prevent mother-to-child 
transmission in parts of Africa and the Caribbean. As little as a 
single dose of medication to mother and child at birth is reported to 
prevent transmission 50 percent of the time.
  While this is a positive step, it does not address the problem 
itself. The disease many times is transmitted through sexual activity, 
but this initiative focuses on the least politically sensitive aspect 
of care and treatment. U.S. AIDS programs, through the Agency for 
International Development, focus on education and do not offer 
treatment. Fewer than 2 percent of the people living with AIDS in sub-
Saharan Africa have access to antiretroviral drugs that are saving 
lives and improving the quality of life for those who are fortunate 
enough to receive them.
  So focusing primarily on the innocent newborns, Bush's pledge leaves 
out women and children and communities and families. So I urge that we 
push and stress that the U.S. House of Representatives step up to the 
plate and offer additional funding.

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