[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 102 (Friday, July 11, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1460]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        GLOBAL AIDS/HIV PANDEMIC

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 10, 2003

  Ms. EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to 
address the Global AIDS/HIV Pandemic. Unfortunately, this pandemic is 
proving to be one of the most important issues of our time. In the 
U.S., 400,000 people have died and more than a million have been 
infected. However, not only citizens in the U.S. have suffered. Since 
the advent of the AIDS epidemic, more than 22 million people worldwide 
have died from the disease. Currently, more than 40 million people are 
living with HIV/AIDS, the majority in sub-Saharan Africa.
  The United Nations has estimated that by the year 2010, there will be 
40 million children in Africa who will be orphaned by AIDS. Currently, 
there are 10 million AIDS orphans on the continent of Africa. What have 
we done and what have we failed to do for these children? Will we 
continue to deny the magnitude of the problem like we did 20 years ago 
or will we step forward and be the international leader that we have 
always claimed?
  As the most technologically advanced nation and the leader of the 
free world, the United States has both a moral obligation and 
compelling national security interests to address the global HIV/AIDS 
crisis. As a nurse and the former Chair of the Congressional Black 
Caucus, I support increased funding for this most serious issue.
  For the first time, there are signs that HIV incidence--the annual 
number of new infections--may have stabilized in sub-Saharan Africa. 
New infections in 2000 totalled an estimated 3.8 million, as opposed to 
a total of 4.0 million in 1999. However, if HIV infections start to 
explode in countries that have had relatively low rates up to now, such 
as Nigeria, regional incidence could start rising again.
  Africa's slight fall in new infections is probably a result of two 
factors. On the one hand, the epidemic in many countries has gone on 
for so long that it has already affected many people in the sexually 
active population, leaving a smaller pool of people still above to 
acquire the infection. At the same time, successful prevention 
programmes in a handful of African countries, notably Uganda, have 
reduced national infection rates and contributed to the regional 
downturn.
  I believe that a prevention program, like the one in Uganda which 
stresses the ``ABC''--``A'' for abstinence, ``B'' for being faithful 
and ``C'' for condom use when appropriate--has been very successful. 
Since 1992, infection rates have fallen 30 percent to under 6.5 in just 
9 years.
  However, we cannot rest on our laurels. Much remains to be done. HIV/
AIDS has become a global pandemic which threatens the lives of millions 
of people. If we learn nothing else from AIDS, let us learn this--
because viruses are not respecters of persons, we must learn to 
compassionately care for everyone infected and affected. Our failure to 
do this 20 years ago brought us to where we are today. What will our 
continued failure to act bring about in another 20 years? Can these 
children count on us for help or will we blame them like we did so many 
others in years past?
  Mr. Speaker, we still have a long way to go to raise awareness about 
the disease and to ensure that nations have the resources to implement 
proven prevention and treatment programs.
  We must do more to help those countries to combat these deadly 
diseases. We must commit ourselves to doing more, and I hope that this 
Congress can make that commitment, and I strongly urge the President of 
the United States to do the same.

                          ____________________