    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2002, Book I)]
    [June 19, 2002]
    [Pages 1012-1014]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    Remarks Announcing the International Mother and Child HIV Prevention
    Initiative
    June 19, 2002

        Good morning. The global devastation of HIV/AIDS staggers the
    imagination and shocks the conscience. The disease has already killed
    over 20 million people, and it's poised to kill at least 40 million
    more.
        In Africa, the disease clouds the future of entire nations and
    threatens to hold back the hopes of an entire continent. In the hardest
    hit countries of sub-Sahara Africa as much as one-third of the adult
    population is infected with HIV, and 10 percent or more of the
    schoolteachers will die of AIDS within 5 years.
        The wasted human lives that lie behind these numbers are a call to
    action for every person on the planet and for every government. So
    today, my administration is announcing another important new initiative
    in the fight against HIV/AIDS.
        I want to thank Secretary Powell and
    Secretary O'Neill for their hard work on
    this project. I appreciate so very much Tommy Thompson, Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services,
    for he and his staff's vision and implementation, procedures for this
    project. I want to thank Andrew Natsios,
    the Administrator of USAID. I appreciate Dr. Tony Fauci, the Director of NIH, for being here as well--of the
    Allergy and Infectious Diseases Department. Thank you, Tony, for your
    hard work on this. I appreciate Senator Bill Frist and Senator Jesse Helms for
    their vision on this issue. And I appreciate

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    Jim Kolbe from the House of Representatives. Thank
    you all for being here today.
        One of our best opportunities for progress against AIDS lies in
    preventing mothers from passing on the HIV virus to their children.
    Worldwide, close to 2,000 babies are infected with HIV every day, during
    pregnancy, birth, or through breast-feeding. Most of those infected will
    die before their fifth birthday. The ones who are not infected will grow
    up as orphans when their parents die of AIDS. New advances in medical
    treatment give us the ability to save many of these young lives. And we
    must, and we will.
        Today I announce that my administration plans to make $500 million
    available to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV. This new
    effort, which will be funded during the next 16 months, will allow us to
    treat 1 million women annually and reduce mother-to-child transmission
    by 40 percent within 5 years or less in target countries.
        I thank all the Members of Congress who supported this initiative,
    especially Senators Frist and Helms. Their visionary leadership on this issue will mean the
    difference between life and death for hundreds of thousands of children.
        Our initiative will focus on 12 countries in Africa and others in
    the Caribbean where the problem is most severe and where our help can
    make the greatest amount of difference. We'll pursue medical strategies
    that have a proven track record. We'll define specific goals. We will
    demand effective management. When the lives of babies and mothers are at
    stake, the only measure of compassion is real results.
        We have a three-part strategy. First, in places with stronger health
    care systems, we will provide voluntary testing, prevention, counseling,
    and a comprehensive therapy of antiretroviral medications for both
    mother and child, beginning before delivery and continuing after
    delivery. This combination has proven extremely effective in preventing
    transmission of the HIV virus.
        Second, in places with weaker health care systems, we'll provide
    testing and counseling, and we will support programs that administer a
    single dose of nevirapine to the mother at the time of delivery and at
    least one dose to the infant shortly after birth. This therapy reduces
    the chances of infection by nearly 50 percent.
        Third, and most importantly, we will make a major effort to improve
    the health care delivery systems in targeted countries. This will allow
    more women and babies to receive the comprehensive therapy. It will
    allow for better and longer treatment and care of all AIDS victims, and
    it will lead to better health care in general for all the country's
    citizens.
        We'll help build better health care systems by pairing hospitals in
    America and hospitals in Africa, so that African hospitals can gain more
    expertise in administering effective AIDS programs. We'll also send
    volunteer medical professionals from the United States to assist and
    train their African counterparts. And we will recruit and pay African
    medical and graduate students to provide testing, treatment, and care.
        This major commitment of my Government to prevent mother-to-child
    HIV transmission is the first of this scale by any government, anywhere.
    In time, we will gain valuable experience, improve treatment methods,
    and sharpen our training strategies. Health care systems in targeted
    countries will get better. And this will make even more progress
    possible. And as we see what works, we will make more funding available.
        The United States already contributes approximately $1 billion a
    year to international efforts to combat HIV/AIDS. In addition, we plan
    to spend more than $2.5 billion on research and development for new
    drugs and new treatments. We've committed $500 million to the Global
    Fund to Fight AIDS and other infectious diseases, and we stand ready to
    commit more as this fund demonstrates its success.

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        Today's initiative is not a substitute for any of these efforts. It
    is not a substitute for further U.S. contributions to the Global Fund.
    This initiative will complement those efforts, and it is an essential
    new step in our global struggle against AIDS.
        Today I call on other industrialized nations and international
    organizations to join this crucial effort to save children from disease
    and death. Medical science gives us the power to save these young lives.
    Conscience demands we do so.
        Thank you very much.

    Note: The President spoke at 9:04 a.m. in the Rose Garden at the White
    House. In his remarks, he referred to Anthony S. Fauci, Director,
    National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National
    Institutes of Health.