[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 84 (Wednesday, May 21, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1002]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   H.R. 5501, THE TOM LANTOS AND HENRY J. HYDE UNITED STATES GLOBAL 
LEADERSHIP AGAINST HIV/AIDS, TUBERCULOSIS, AND MALARIA REAUTHORIZATION 
                              ACT OF 2008

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. JOHN CONYERS, JR.

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 20, 2008

  Mr. CONYERS. Madam Speaker, I rise to voice my strong support for 
H.R. 5501, the Tom Lantos and Henry J. Hyde United States Global 
Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Reauthorization 
Act of 2008. This important legislation authorizes appropriations for 
fiscal years 2009 through 2013 to provide assistance to foreign 
countries to combat HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria, and for other 
purposes, including program monitoring, operations research, and impact 
evaluation research of U.S. HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria 
programs.
  Since the HIV/AIDS epidemic began, 20 million men, women, and 
children have died from the disease. Forty million around the globe are 
HIV-positive, and each and every day, another 6,000 people become 
infected with HIV. Tuberculosis and malaria are devastating diseases in 
their own right, particularly in developing countries. However, 
tuberculosis (particularly drug-resistant strains) in the immuno-
compromised poses a particularly vexing treatment challenge.
  HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria are sometimes referred to as the 
``diseases of poverty;'' without question, Africans and various peoples 
of African descent have been hit the hardest by this global epidemic. 
In three of the larger countries in the Caribbean--the Bahamas, Haiti, 
and Trinidad and Tobago--more than 2 percent of the adult population is 
living with HIV. Higher prevalence rates are found only in sub-Saharan 
Africa, making the Caribbean the second-most affected region in the 
world.
  AIDS is now one of the leading causes of death in some of these 
countries, with Haiti being the worst affected. An estimated 16,000 
lives are lost each year to AIDS in Haiti, and tens of thousands of 
children have been orphaned by the epidemic. As well, Haiti has the 
highest per capita tuberculosis burden in the Latin America and 
Caribbean region. After HIV/AIDS, TB is the country's greatest 
infectious cause of mortality of both youth and adults, resulting in 
6,000 deaths annually.
  What must not be overlooked in the gobal pandemic of HIV/AIDS is the 
need for preventative care. For example, the Act directs the United 
States Agency for International Development (USAID) to develop a 
program to facilitate availability of proven microbicides that prevent 
the transmission of HIV. The Act also creates linkages and requires 
patient referrals between HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis programs, and 
creates a new plan to stop tuberculosis by enhancing testing and 
treatment in countries with high tuberculosis rates. New tactics for 
attacking drug-resistant tuberculosis are also supported.
  Most importantly, the Act provides funding for treatment based on 
scientific principles and evidence-based practices. It is our duty to 
battle these life-threatening illnesses, and it is inappropriate to 
forebear moral judgment or other inherent prejudices upon those 
suffering from these terrible diseases. The Act's purpose is to help 
provide treatment and support to those who are unable to provide these 
services on their own. It implores us to care for one another, for we 
are all brothers and sisters in the eyes of our Creator.
  Madam Speaker, there is a moral imperative to combat this epidemic, 
and the late Congressmen Lantos and Hyde, both dear friends and 
colleagues, fought long and hard on this important issue. Please honor 
their efforts by supporting H.R. 5501, the Tom Lantos and Henry J. Hyde 
United States Global Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and 
Malaria Reauthorization Act of 2008.

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