Obama announces US AIDS strategy

Jul 12th, 2010 12:02 PM UTC
By Josh Lozman

This week, President Obama will announce a national AIDS strategy to reduce the number of new infections. Many, including us at ONE, were startled and troubled by the news last year that the District of Columbia had an HIV positive rate that is still higher than many African countries. This pandemic is truly global and needs to be fought everywhere. We’ll keep you posted when the strategy is announced.

Here’s an excerpt from the New York Times report:

President Obama will unveil a new national strategy this week to curb the AIDS epidemic by slashing the number of new infections and increasing the number of people who get care and treatment.

“Annual AIDS deaths have declined, but the number of new infections has been static and the number of people living with H.I.V. is growing,” says a final draft of the report, obtained by The New York Times.

In the report, the administration calls for steps to reduce the annual number of new H.I.V. infections by 25 percent within five years. “Approximately 56,000 people become infected each year, and more than 1.1 million Americans are living with H.I.V.,” the report says.

Mr. Obama plans to announce the strategy, distilled from 15 months of work and discussions with thousands of people around the country, at the White House on Tuesday.

While acknowledging that “increased investments in certain key areas are warranted,” the report does not propose a major increase in federal spending. It says the administration will redirect money to areas with the greatest need and population groups at greatest risk, including gay and bisexual men and African-Americans. The federal government now spends more than $19 billion a year on domestic AIDS programs.

TAGS: Barack Obama, HIV/AIDS