[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 17]
[House]
[Page 23321]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                             WORLD AIDS DAY

  (Mrs. MORELLA asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Mrs. MORELLA. Mr. Speaker, on Saturday, December 1, communities 
around the world will acknowledge World AIDS Day. This year's World 
AIDS campaign will address masculine behaviors and attitudes that 
contribute to the spread of HIV. The new campaign aims to involve men, 
particularly young men, more fully in the effort against AIDS.
  June 5, 1981, marked the first reported case of AIDS. Since then, 5.3 
million people worldwide continue to be infected, with roughly 3 
million AIDS-related deaths annually. HIV/AIDS has caused over 25 
million fatalities, and 40 million are living with the disease 
worldwide. Eighteen million are women and 3 million are children.
  To combat this growing global threat, I along with 62 of my 
colleagues have most recently called on President Bush to set aside $1 
billion in emergency fiscal year 2002 funding to fight the global AIDS 
pandemic, TB, and malaria. This funding is essential so that additional 
investments from both public and private sources can be leveraged to 
meet the cost of effectively combating the global AIDS pandemic.
  Money is unquestionably a key component to our global battle to 
eradicate AIDS; however, equally critical is individual behavior. In 
spite of the progress we have made in our battle against AIDS, there is 
still approximately 40,000 new HIV infections a year in the United 
States, the exact number reported 10 years ago. We must encourage men 
to adopt positive behaviors and to play a greater role in caring for 
their partners and families. We all have a role to play.

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