[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 173 (Tuesday, December 1, 2015)]
[Senate]
[Pages S8238-S8239]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        OBSERVING WORLD AIDS DAY

  Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, today I wish to commemorate the 28th World 
AIDS Day. This day is a time to recognize the tremendous progress we 
have

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made in combating the human immunodeficiency virus infection and 
acquired immune deficiency syndrome, HIV/AIDS, and to redouble our 
commitment to preventing and treating this devastating disease.
  For many years, we have viewed AIDS as a death sentence. Before 2000, 
rates of infection grew exponentially. People living with HIV/AIDS had 
few options, and what options they did have were expensive and out of 
reach. Millions of children orphaned by HIV/AIDS were isolated within 
their own communities, and there was virtually no way to prevent HIV 
transmissions from pregnant women to their unborn children, ending 
countless lives before they could truly begin.
  But thanks to sustained United States and global efforts--
administered through programs like the President's Emergency Plan for 
AIDS Relief, PEPFAR, the Global Fund, and UNAIDS--we are finally 
turning the tide, not only in terms of slowing the spread of HIV/AIDS, 
but also by improving the lives of those affected by this disease.
  Since 2000, new HIV infections have dropped by 35 percent. AIDS-
related deaths are down 42 percent from their peak in 2004. To date, 15 
million men, women, and children worldwide are on anti-retroviral 
therapy, compared to only 1 million in 2001. We have also made 
significant progress in tackling mother-to-child transmissions, which 
are key to ending the AIDS epidemic. Today 73 percent of pregnant women 
living with HIV have access to anti-retroviral therapy, greatly 
reducing the likelihood that they will transmit the disease to their 
babies. As a result, since 2000, new infections among children have 
fallen by 58 percent. Because of our investments in HIV/AIDS treatment 
and prevention, health systems throughout Africa have been 
strengthened, allowing millions to gain access to medications and more 
advanced treatments. Life expectancy in nations like Rwanda and Kenya 
have dramatically increased, and health facilities have been 
modernized.
  These steps are just some of the ways in which we have made 
remarkable progress to stop HIV/AIDS in its tracks. We are, without a 
doubt, on our way to an AIDS-free generation. This is something that 
can happen in our lifetimes.
  In mid-September, more than 150 world leaders gathered at the United 
Nations General Assembly to adopt the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable 
Development. Goal 3 includes a target to eradicate HIV/AIDS, 
tuberculosis, malaria, and other communicable diseases by 2030. This is 
a bold commitment that requires strong leadership from the United 
States. To achieve this goal, the United States must continue to invest 
in and provide strong funding for our global health programs, 
especially PEPFAR.
  As my colleagues know, PEPFAR is the largest commitment by any nation 
to combat a single disease internationally and represents the very best 
of America and our commitment to global humanitarian values. Thanks to 
PEPFAR, 7.7 million men, women, and children worldwide are receiving 
anti-retroviral treatments. In 2014, PEPFAR supported HIV testing and 
counseling for more than 56.7 million people and provided training for 
more than 140,000 new health care workers to help combat HIV on the 
ground. Through PEPFAR, we have been able to reach 5 million children 
who have been orphaned or made vulnerable due to HIV/AIDS. PEPFAR has 
also dramatically improved outcomes for pregnant women and their 
babies, reducing the transmission of HIV from mother to child. In 2014, 
PEPFAR supported HIV testing and counseling for more than 14.2 million 
pregnant women worldwide. For the nearly 750,000 pregnant women who 
tested positive for HIV, PEPFAR's anti-retroviral medications allowed 
95 percent of their children to be born HIV-free.
  We have made extraordinary progress; however, there is still much 
work to be done. Currently, there are more than 22 million people 
living with HIV who are not yet on treatment, and HIV is still the 
leading cause of death for women of reproductive age worldwide. We are 
on our way to an AIDS-free generation, but we can't rest on our laurels 
now. We need the commitment and leadership of partner countries--
reinforced with support from donor nations, civil society, people 
living with HIV, faith-based organizations, the private sector, and 
foundations--to make an AIDS-free generation a reality. On this World 
AIDS Day, we recognize the progress we have made and recommit ourselves 
to continuing to combat HIV/AIDS both at home and abroad.

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