[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 151 (2005), Part 17]
[Senate]
[Pages 22603-22604]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     NATIONAL LATINO AIDS AWARENESS

  Mr. OBAMA. Mr. President, even as our Nation faces new public health 
challenges, it is crucial that we not lose sight of a devastating 
disease that has remained a challenge for decades the HIV/AIDS 
epidemic. Over the past two decades, the Nation has witnessed 
tremendous strides in the diagnosis and treatment of this disease, and 
overall, affected individuals are living longer and in better health. 
Yet approximately 40,000 Americans are still infected every year, half 
of whom are under the age of 25, and over 1 million

[[Page 22604]]

Americans are living with this disease. My own State of Illinois ranks 
sixth in the Nation for HIV/AIDS, and our health officials and experts 
continue to work diligently to reduce the number of newly infected, as 
well as provide high quality care to those who are infected.
  As with so many diseases, HIV/AIDS has had a disproportionate impact 
on the Latino community. While representing only 14 percent of the U.S. 
population, Latinos comprise 20 percent of the population affected by 
HIV/AIDS. However, unlike every other racial and ethnic group, the 
number of estimated deaths among Latinos with AIDS is actually 
increasing--a 17 percent growth between 1999 and 2003.
  As the largest and fastest growing ethnic minority group in the U.S., 
it is imperative that HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment in the Latino 
community remain a top priority for our Nation.
  I am proud to join Representative Hilda Solis, Chair of the 
Congressional Hispanic Caucus' Task Force on Health, and other members 
of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and Congressional Black Caucus, in 
recognizing October 15 as National Latino AIDS Awareness Day. On this 
day, we renew our commitment to ending the spread of HIV and ensuring 
quality of life to those with HIV regardless of their country of origin 
or immigration status. We do this whether we are Latino, African 
American, Asian, Caucasian or Native American. Although we all belong 
to separate communities, it is important that we stand as one community 
in the fight against this disease that is rapidly targeting populations 
of color.
  The numbers are growing and so should our national attention towards 
the issue. The reauthorization of the Ryan White CARE Act is an example 
of how our Nation can help. It is also critical to increase funding for 
the Minority AIDS Initiative, MAI, which addresses the disproportionate 
impact of HIV/AIDS on people of color by allocating specific funds for 
programs under the Ryan White CARE Act. Programs like Ryan White 
provide our most vulnerable populations, such as HIV/AIDS-stricken 
Latinos, with a chance for quality health care and a brighter future.
  On October 15 and every other day of the year, I encourage all of us 
to join in the fight against HIV and AIDS. We cannot become complacent. 
The need is great, and the time to act is overdue.

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