[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 147 (2001), Part 7]
[House]
[Page 9896]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



                   THE CONTINUING CRISIS OF HIV/AIDS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mr. Issa). Under a previous order of the 
House, the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Davis) is recognized for 5 
minutes.
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I take this moment because of the 
fact that the AIDS/HIV epidemic continues to plague America and, in 
actuality, continues to plague much of the world. I take this 
opportunity to commend the Congressional Black Caucus, the 
Congressional Hispanic Caucus, and the Congressional Pacific American 
Caucus for holding a joint hearing regarding this very important issue 
on June 12, that is, the issue of the HIV/AIDS epidemic that continues 
to threaten communities not only in our country, but throughout the 
world.
  Mr. Speaker, 20 years ago the term HIV/AIDS was unknown. Since that 
time, over 19 million people worldwide have died of HIV/AIDS, and 
approximately 34 million people continue to live with the disease. The 
Surgeon General, David Satcher, stated in a recent report that HIV/AIDS 
could be the worst epidemic ever recorded in history.
  Many people believe that this is an issue that does not really affect 
our country. It is true that the poorest regions in the world have been 
hit the hardest; yet the United States of America, the most 
technologically proficient Nation on the face of the Earth, has not 
been able to escape the devastation of this deadly disease. In this 
country alone, over 400,000 people have died, while 900,000 people are 
living with HIV/AIDS. The Centers for Disease Control recently released 
a report stating that each year there are 40,000 new cases of HIV/AIDS.
  What concerns me the most about this issue is the growing impact that 
the disease is having on minority communities in our country. The 2000 
Presidential Advisory Council on HIV/AIDS Report to the President 
stated that ``in the United States, disproportionate numbers of new 
infections are found in poor communities, communities of color, among 
young gay men, among drug users, and among African American and Latino 
women populations who have rarely been embraced by this Nation as a 
whole.''
  In 1999, the AIDS incident-rate per 100,000 people among Hispanics 
was 25.6. The rate for African Americans was 66. The rate for whites 
was 7.6. These statistics clearly demonstrate the large racial gaps 
that exist among aids cases. The HIV/AIDS pandemic has reached my own 
district in Chicago, Illinois. The city has seen an overwhelming 
increase in the number of minorities infected with the disease. This 
past February, researchers in Chicago reported that fully 30 percent of 
young gay African American men are infected with HIV/AIDS. The 
infection rate for gay blacks is twice that of any other ethnic group. 
Nationwide, 14.7 percent of gay black men are infected with the 
disease.
  In addition to the African American community, the Hispanic 
population has also seen an increase in the number of HIV/AIDS cases. 
In 1999, Hispanics made up 13 percent of the entire United States 
population. At the same time, however, Hispanics also made up 19 
percent of the total number of new United States AIDS cases reported 
that year.
  Research has shown that these trends are continuing to worsen. The 
HIV/AIDS epidemic has continued to spread throughout minority 
communities. We can no longer sit and simply wait for a cure to be 
found. We must increase our work to educate the public on AIDS 
prevention, while continuing to study new ways to combat the disease.
  Again, I want to commend my colleagues in the CBC and the CHC and the 
CPA for their vigilance on this issue. This hearing is an excellent way 
to keep the spotlight on the HIV/AIDS pandemic and an excellent way for 
us to come up with effective ways to solve this very important and 
growing problem.

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