[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 13]
[Senate]
[Pages 18461-18462]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                             WORLD AIDS DAY

  Mr. DURBIN. Mr. President, next year marks the 30th anniversary of 
the first diagnosis by the Centers for Disease Control of acquired 
immune deficiency syndrome or AIDS. This year, 33.3 million people are 
living with HIV. Last year 2.6 million people were infected with HIV, 
and 1.8 million people died from AIDS. And today we commemorate World 
AIDS Day, acknowledging the suffering and death that AIDS has caused 
and reaffirming our commitment to fight the global AIDS pandemic.
  For three decades this preventable disease has devastated families 
and communities. But there also has been a global response from the 
research community, government, health workers, and patient advocates 
to fight this disease and save lives. This battle has yielded notable 
victories. Fewer people are becoming infected with HIV, biomedical 
innovations have created drugs that can transform AIDS into a chronic 
disease rather than a death sentence, more people have access to HIV 
treatment, and mothers can prevent their babies from becoming infected 
with HIV. A recent CDC report, indicating that 11.4 million more people 
were tested for HIV in 2006 compared to 2009, highlights the 
advancements that have been made.
  The U.S. has been at the frontline combating the AIDS pandemic. We 
have established aggressive and effective programs, notably the Ryan 
White HIV/AIDS Program and the Tom Lantos and Henry J. Hyde U.S. Global 
Leadership against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria Act, known more 
commonly as PEPFAR. These programs provide funding and support to 
initiatives combating AIDS and providing critical services to people in 
the U.S. and developing countries.
  Progress has certainly been made, but the U.S. must continue to be a 
leader in the fight against HIV/AIDS. In the United States over 1.1 
million people have HIV, but one in five of these people do not know 
they are infected. Each year 56,300 Americans become infected with HIV.

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  We can bring this number to zero. While Black Americans represent 12 
percent of the U.S. population, they account for almost half of people 
living with HIV and half of new infections each year. We can alter the 
trajectory of this disease and eliminate these disparities.
  World AIDS Day causes us to remember those who have been lost to this 
disease, but it is also an opportunity to renew our commitment to 
fighting the AIDS pandemic, to eliminating stigma against those with 
this disease, and to stopping the spread of HIV.
  I look forward to working with my colleagues to make these goals a 
reality.

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