For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
December 1, 2006

Fact Sheet: World AIDS Day 2006

      President Bush Discusses World AIDS Day
      In Focus: HIV/AIDS
     

Today, President Bush Marked World AIDS Day 2006 By Renewing Our Nation's Commitment To Addressing The HIV/AIDS Pandemic.  The President discussed the global and domestic response to HIV/AIDS at a roundtable discussion with Mrs. Laura Bush, Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Michael Leavitt, U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator Mark Dybul, and community leaders from the United States and Africa.  This World AIDS Day, the U.S. Government is highlighting "The Promise of Partnerships."  

INTERNATIONAL EFFORTS: America Continues To Lead The World In Fighting HIV/AIDS

The President's Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) Is Meeting The President's Commitment Of $15 Billion Over Five Years To Support Treatment For 2 Million People, Prevention Of 7 Million New Infections, And Care For 10 Million People.  PEPFAR is the largest international health initiative dedicated to a single disease.  PEPFAR works worldwide, but targets 15 focus countries that are home to approximately half of the world's 39 million HIV-positive people: Botswana, Cote d'Ivoire, Ethiopia, Guyana, Haiti, Kenya, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Vietnam, and Zambia. 

As Of September 30, 2006, PEPFAR Was Supporting Life-Saving Antiretroviral Treatment For Approximately 822,000 People Living With HIV/AIDS.  This is taking place through bilateral programs in PEPFAR's 15 focus countries in sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean.  Of the 822,000 individuals receiving treatment through PEPFAR, 61 percent are women and 9 percent are children age 14 and under. 

• PEPFAR Is Supporting The Leadership Of Local Communities.  PEPFAR works with partners in host nations to support local capacity and to sustain prevention, treatment, and care efforts long after the initial five years of the Emergency Plan.  Over 80 percent of PEPFAR partners are indigenous organizations.

• PEPFAR Is Supporting Innovative Partnerships To Train Local Health Care Professionals.  For example, a PEPFAR initiative launched in May 2006 places health care professionals from the Ethiopian Diaspora community in volunteer assignments in Ethiopia to train and work side-by-side with Ethiopian counterparts.  This initiative will use a new database to identify qualified professionals from the Diaspora to help Ethiopia's HIV/AIDS campaign.

• PEPFAR's New Partner Initiative (NPI) Will Award Its First Round Of Grants For HIV/AIDS Prevention And Care. President Bush launched the $200 million New Partners Initiative on World AIDS Day 2005.  The first round of three-year grants will award up to $72 million in 23 grants to organizations in the United States and Africa.  These organizations will work in 13 of PEPFAR's 15 focus countries. 
  
  
  • The NPI Is Identifying And Supporting Organizations Providing Health Care In The Developing World, Including Faith-Based And Community Organizations, To Achieve Local Ownership And Long-Term Sustainability. 

The United States Supports The Most Diverse Prevention Portfolio Of Any International Partner. In addition to the ABC (Abstain, Be faithful, and the correct and consistent use of Condoms) approach, the U.S. supports programs that focus on prevention of mother-to-child transmission, on blood safety and safe medical injections, on intravenous drug users, on HIV-discordant couples, on alcohol abuse, and on other key issues, including gender-specific programs. 

The United States Leads The World In Its Support Of The Global Fund To Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis And Malaria.  President Bush made the Fund's founding contribution, and the United States has pledged almost $2 billion through 2008 – far more than any other nation.

DOMESTIC EFFORTS: The Administration Is Working To Help The 1 Million Americans Living With HIV/AIDS

The Administration Is Working To Address The Needs Of People Living With HIV/AIDS And To Prevent New HIV Infections Within The United States.  Of the approximately 40,000 new transmissions occurring annually in the United States, about half are spread by individuals unaware they are infecting others.  The number of AIDS cases is especially high in the African-American, Hispanic, and gay communities, as well as among intravenous drug users and prisoners. 

• The President Has Called For HIV Tests To Become A Routine Part Of Care So All Americans Know Their Status.  The HHS Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have released guidelines to physicians recommending routine voluntary HIV testing as a part of regular medical care for all people between the ages of 13-64, and annual screening for those at high risk.

• Since 2001, The Administration Has Devoted More Than $74 Billion To Treatment And Care, Increasing Annual Treatment Funding By 37 Percent.  In addition, the Administration has devoted more than $15 billion to HIV/AIDS research to help develop new methods of treatment and prevention, increasing annual research funding by 20 percent.

• The President's 2007 Budget Requested $93 Million To Purchase And Distribute Rapid HIV Test Kits That Will Facilitate Testing Of More Than 3 Million Additional Americans.  Of the approximately 1 million people infected with HIV, an estimated 250,000 are unaware they carry the virus.  Rapid HIV test kits will be directed at communities with the highest rates of newly discovered HIV cases, including prisoners and intravenous drug users.

• The President Has Proposed Making $70 Million Available For States To Bridge Coverage Gaps For AIDS Patients Awaiting Life-Saving Medications.  These funds would help States support care for additional patients.

• The President Has Proposed Making $25 Million Available To Strengthen Awareness Of HIV/AIDS In High-Risk Communities.  These funds would strengthen outreach to minority communities by local and faith-based organizations.

• The President Has Called On Congress To Reauthorize The Ryan White Care Act.  He is calling for reauthorization in accordance with three key principles: focusing Federal resources on life-extending care; better targeting resources to address the greatest needs; and encouraging the participation of all providers, including faith-based and community organizations that can demonstrate results.

The President Is Dedicated To Ending Discrimination Against People Living With HIV/AIDS

The President Will Direct The Secretary Of State To Request And The Secretary Of Homeland Security To Initiate A Rulemaking That Would Propose A Categorical Waiver For HIV-Positive People Seeking To Enter The United States On Short-Term Visas.  The President considers the participation of people living with HIV/AIDS a critical element in the global HIV/AIDS response.  A 1993 law prohibits HIV-positive people from receiving visas to visit the United States without a waiver.  A categorical waiver would enable HIV-positive people to enter the United States for short visits through a streamlined process.

More Information On The Administration's International And Domestic Response To HIV/AIDS Is Available At www.pepfar.gov And www.AIDS.gov.

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