[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 183 (Thursday, December 1, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E2150]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                             WORLD AIDS DAY

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. JESSE L. JACKSON, JR.

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, December 1, 2011

  Mr. JACKSON of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of 
World AIDS Day, December 1, 2011, and in support of the more than 33 
million people worldwide living with AIDS, including over one million 
Americans.
  World AIDS Day began in 1988 to raise public awareness for one of the 
most deadly pandemics in history. Since 1981, over 25 million people 
have died from HIV or AIDS related illnesses, and in 2008 alone more 
than 2.7 million people were newly infected. In the United States, more 
than one million people are living with HIV, with one in five of those 
cases currently unaware of their condition. HIV disproportionately 
affects people of color, men who have sex with men, and those without 
access to affordable birth control.
  2011 marks 30 years since the discovery of the first AIDS cases in 
the United States. To date, the work we've done here in the United 
States and abroad has been effective as HIV infections worldwide are at 
their lowest levels since 1997. There is much more to be done, but I'm 
proud of the commitment we've made--research at the National Institutes 
of Health, prevention and education programs at the Centers for Disease 
Control and Prevention, the Ryan White CARE Act, the President's 
Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief and the Global Fund for AIDS, TB and 
Malaria--and it is my hope that we will continue that great work.
  Mr. Speaker, World AIDS Day provides us with an occasion to raise 
awareness about HIV prevention measures. With continued commitment to 
public health programs, research, early testing and screening, and age 
appropriate sexual education programs, we can work together to protect 
ourselves from HIV, and eradicate this disease for good.
  I urge my colleagues to stand with me in supporting the Americans and 
people across the globe infected with HIV, and to support the efforts 
that will bring an eventual end to this deadly disease.

                          ____________________