[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 186 (Thursday, December 1, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Pages S6938-S6939]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          WORLD AIDS DAY 2022

  Mr. CARDIN. Madam President, on December 1, we mark the 34th 
anniversary of World AIDS Day. World AIDS Day calls on us to remember 
those lost to AIDS and support those who live with HIV/AIDS-related 
illnesses. On this day, we also raise awareness for the global health 
crisis and redouble our efforts in the fight against HIV/AIDS.
  Established in 1998, World AIDS Day marked the first international 
day for global health. Since then, World AIDS Day has adopted targeted 
themes to raise awareness and encourage international cooperation. This 
year's theme, ``Equalize,'' focuses on addressing persisting 
inequalities in the fight against AIDS. Vulnerable groups such as young 
women, gay men, transgender people, people of color, and sex workers 
struggle to access contraception, testing, treatment, and new 
technologies. Criminalization, discrimination, and social stigmas 
continue to target these vulnerable populations across the globe. The 
2022 ``Equalize'' campaign reminds us that our fight cannot be won 
until such inequalities are eliminated.
  Since the first U.S. cases of AIDS were reported in June 1981, over 
700,000 people in the U.S. have died from HIV-related illnesses. As of 
2019, nearly 1.2 million people were living with HIV. In 2020, 30,635 
people received an HIV diagnosis in the U.S. and dependent areas. My 
home State of Maryland is not immune to this issue. As of 2021, over 
32,000 Marylanders over 13 years old are living with HIV, with 773 new 
diagnoses that same year. Furthermore, recent data shows that minority 
populations remain disproportionately affected by HIV/AIDs. In 2020, 
Black Americans accounted for 42 percent of HIV diagnoses, while 
Hispanic/Latino Americans accounted for 27 percent of HIV diagnoses. 
This is evidence of the persistent health challenge HIV/AIDS presents 
Maryland and the U.S.
  Fortunately, scientists have made significant strides in developing 
antiretroviral therapies--ART--against HIV infections over recent 
decades. Thanks to breakthroughs in the private and public sectors, the 
U.S. Food and Drug Administration--FDA--has now approved more than 30 
medicines

[[Page S6939]]

to treat HIV infection. These treatment regimens help extend and 
stabilize the lives of those living with HIV while reducing further 
risk of HIV transmission.
  I particularly applaud Maryland's scientific community and academic 
partners--including the National Institutes of Health--NIH--the Walter 
Reed Army Institute of Infectious Disease Research, the Institute of 
Human Virology at the University of Maryland, and Johns Hopkins 
University--for their groundbreaking research initiatives. For example, 
NIH-funded research, including clinical trials, to develop pre-exposure 
prophylaxis--PrEP--medication designed to prevent high-risk individuals 
from contracting HIV.
  Thanks to cutting-edge advancements in treatment, Maryland has 
reached significant milestones in reducing HIV case numbers. For the 
first time in over three decades, Maryland reported fewer than 1,000 
new cases in 2018 and continues to remain below the 1,000 new case 
benchmark as of 2021. State-supported efforts such as safe-sex 
education programs, condom distribution, and the expansion of 
prophylactic medications have all mitigated HIV transmission. The 
Maryland Department of Health's antiretroviral therapy campaign has 
also contributed to viral suppression for 60 percent of the State's HIV 
patients. Additionally, city and county needle exchange programs have 
broadened efforts to reduce the circulation of unclean syringes, 
provide testing for infectious diseases such as HIV, and extend 
resources for substance abuse.
  Thanks to the Affordable Care Act--ACA--Americans diagnosed with HIV 
or at risk of transmission have more meaningful access to healthcare 
coverage and health insurance. Today, Americans cannot be dropped or 
denied coverage because of pre-existing health conditions such as HIV. 
The ACA also gives States the option to expand Medicaid, the largest 
payer for those who need HIV treatment in the country. The ACA's 
investments in community health centers' Ending the HIV Epidemic 
Initiative is an integral part of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy.
  The ACA has also established new health plan standards or essential 
health benefits that must be covered under certain health plans. 
Benefits such as prescription drug services, hospital inpatient care, 
lab tests, HIV screening, PrEP, and other preventive services aim to 
preserve the health of those with HIV while mitigating further 
transmission. Under the ACA, most health insurance plans must provide 
preventative services, including HIV testing for those aged 15 to 65. 
PrEP to inhibit HIV is also provided for HIV-negative adults at high 
risk for contracting HIV. I am proud to cosponsor the PrEP Access and 
Coverage Act of 2021, which would expand access to PrEP and work to 
reduce disparities among those recommended and prescribed the 
medication through multiple initiatives, including eliminating out-of-
pocket costs for the medication.
  These investments in an infrastructure to test and treat HIV have 
helped reduce the spread of HIV/AIDs, but have also been essential in 
curbing the spread of mpox. It has provided natural points of care for 
testing, access to treatment, and education to populations also 
vulnerable to contracting mpox.
  However, HIV/AIDS is not an issue the U.S. faces in isolation. 
Outside the U.S., the global HIV/AIDs epidemic remains a grave public 
health challenge. In 2021, approximately 38.4 million people lived with 
HIV across the globe, including 1.7 million children between 0 and 14 
years of age. Last year, roughly 1.5 million people contracted HIV. 
Nevertheless, the international community has made significant process 
in HIV testing and treatment over recent decades. By the end of 2021, 
28.7 million people with HIV, about 75 percent, were receiving ART, 
while approximately 68 percent of all people with HIV reached viral 
suppression. In 2021, an estimated 650,000 people died from AIDS-
related illnesses worldwide, down from 2 million people in 2004 and 1.4 
million in 2010.
  Since its inception in 2003, the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for 
AIDS Relief--PEPFAR--represents an extraordinary commitment to global 
health, aiming to prevent, diagnose, and treat HIV infections. Over 
nearly 20 years, the U.S. has invested more than $100 billion in the 
global response to HIV/AIDS. Because of this, we have made significant 
inroads in access to testing and ART.
  In 2021, PEPFAR provided HIV testing services for more than 50 
million people and supported ART for nearly 19 million people. As of 
today, U.S. leadership through PEPFAR has saved an estimated 20 million 
lives and prevented millions of HIV infections. PEPFAR now operates in 
over 50 countries, training hundreds of thousands of healthcare workers 
and providing critical support to healthcare systems. PEPFAR is a 
powerful example of sincere, effective, and transparent U.S. global 
health leadership and cooperation.
  The COVID-19 pandemic produced a stark reminder that we must swiftly 
respond to global health crises. It demonstrates that diseases cannot 
be easily confined to national borders and regional spheres. 
Additionally, the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted HIV treatments and 
prevention services, separating patients from healthcare providers. 
Vulnerable populations have also been disconnected from educational and 
counseling services while economic downturns exasperated social and 
economic inequalities. Marginalized populations and now more 
susceptible to HIV infection and less likely to access necessary 
services than before the pandemic's onset. Our interconnected world 
demands American vigilance, conscientiousness, and our strong 
investment in global health systems.
  Our battle against HIV is far from over. The U.S. must continue to 
define global health leadership and facilitate cooperation with our 
foreign partners and allies. I commend President Biden for his enduring 
support for PEPFAR. I also recognize international partnerships, 
including the Global Fund along with faith-based organizations and 
civil society for their long-held commitment to eradicating HIV/AIDS. 
Most importantly, I want to recognize those living with HIV/AIDS across 
the globe. Your dignity, fortitude, and endurance testify to the 
extraordinary power of the human spirit. And in accordance with that 
drive and spirit, we will prevail in this fight.

                          ____________________