[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 68 (Friday, May 20, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1045-E1046]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  THE FIRST NATIONAL ASIAN AND PACIFIC ISLANDER HIV/AIDS AWARENESS DAY

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. MICHAEL M. HONDA

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 19, 2005

  Mr. HONDA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the first National 
Asian and Pacific Islander HIV/AIDS Awareness Day. This commemorative 
day aims to raise the awareness

[[Page E1046]]

of Asian Pacific Islander American, APIA, communities about the 
devastating impact of HIV/AIDS as well as educating our communities 
about the progress in the areas of prevention, care and treatment, and 
vaccines.
  Asian Pacific Islander Americans are among the fastest growing 
racial/ethnic populations in the United States. Despite stereotypes 
depicting APIAs as ``model citizens'' who enjoy perfect health, health 
advocates point out that HIV/AIDS awareness is lacking in many 
communities. Indeed, APIAs in the U.S. have higher rates of those 
preventable diseases that are also co-factors for HIV/AIDS--including 
hepatitis B and tuberculosis--than white Americans.
  Worldwide, AIDS has killed more than 20 million people, including 3.1 
million in 2004 alone. Through 2003, in the United States, 
approximately 930,000 people had been diagnosed with AIDS and more than 
400,000 people were living with AIDS. While the number of reported AIDS 
cases among APIAs remains small, lack of detailed HIV surveillance, 
underreporting, and misclassification often mask the true impact of the 
HIV epidemic on APIAs.
  Mr. Speaker, according to such groups as the San Francisco-based 
Asian and Pacific Island Wellness Center, the Asian Pacific Islander 
American Health Forum, and the Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention, CDC, HIV data collected between 2000-2003 reveals a 54 
percent increase in AIDS diagnosis among APIAs. As of December 2003, 
men accounted for 87 percent of APIA AIDS cases, with 71 percent 
occurring among men who have same-sex relations. Among APIA women, 49 
percent of AIDS cases were attributed to heterosexual contact.
  As Chair of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, I want 
to say it loud and clear that there is no misunderstanding. HIV/AIDS is 
a public health emergency for Asian Pacific Islander Americans.
  National API HIV/AIDS Awareness Day is the first step in breaking the 
silence and reducing the shame associated with HIV/AIDS, and I applaud 
the Banyan Tree Project for their efforts. Reducing stigma will give 
APIAs greater access to services we need and deserve, which in turn 
will reduce the spread of HIV.
  I urge my colleagues to join me today, along with national, regional, 
and local HIV/AIDS groups, in supporting this effort to raise awareness 
of HIV/AIDS among Asians and Pacific Islanders and to mobilize 
communities to get involved. Only through collaboration and a 
willingness to break down barriers and build bridges will we be able to 
win this fight against HIV/AIDS.

                          ____________________