White House Fact Sheet: World AIDS Day 2007

President And Mrs. Bush Reaffirm Our Nation's Unprecedented Commitment To Fighting HIV/AIDS At Home And Abroad

Fact Sheet: World AIDS Day 2007

Today, President and Mrs. Bush will mark World AIDS Day 2007 by participating in a faith-based roundtable discussion at Calvary United Methodist Church in Mount Airy, Maryland.

This World AIDS Day, the U.S. Government is highlighting the important role of faith- and community-based organizations in the global fight against HIV/AIDS.

The President and Mrs. Bush will discuss the global response to HIV/AIDS with U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator Mark Dybul, members of local churches involved with volunteer efforts in AIDS-afflicted countries, and faith-based organizations partnering with the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).

Starting today, the White House will display the red ribbon for two days on the North Portico to represent the continued battle against HIV/AIDS and to affirm the matchless value of every life.

Today, the President will meet Martha Chilufya who established the Mututa Memorial Center in Zambia. This center partners with Emergency Plan and faith-based caregivers to serve more than 150 patients. Mrs. Bush and Jenna Bush visited the center in June to listen to a choir of orphans who receive care at the center.

Last summer, volunteers from Calvary United Methodist Church traveled to Namibia to serve at a home for AIDS orphans. The President will also meet with a man from McLean Bible Church who is part of a team that is leaving for Zambia tomorrow.

America Continues To Lead The World In Fighting HIV/AIDS

The United States is on track to exceed the President's commitment of $15 billion over five years for PEPFAR to support treatment for two million people, prevention of seven million new infections, and care for 10 million people. PEPFAR is the largest international health initiative ever dedicated to a single disease.

As of September 30, 2007, PEPFAR was supporting life-saving antiretroviral treatment for approximately 1.36 million people living with HIV/AIDS in the 15 focus countries in sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean.This life-saving treatment provides healing and hope to those affected by HIV/AIDS.

On May 30, 2007, the President announced his proposal to double America's initial $15 billion commitment to fight global HIV/AIDS through PEPFAR.The American people will have committed $48.3 billion over 10 years to fight HIV/AIDS if Congress continues to support the President's plan, including his proposal to provide $30 billion over the next five years.

On World AIDS Day 2007, President Bush again calls on Congress to reauthorize PEPFAR to continue to support those served by the program, and to further expand efforts to build on the program's success.

With full implementation of the "Partnership Compact" model proposed by the President, maintenance of the successful grassroots collaborations with faith-based groups, and a continued emphasis on preventing infection through behavioral changes, live saving progress will continue. If Congress appropriates the funds, the next phase of the American people's commitment to those suffering from HIV/AIDS will support:

* Treatment for 2.5 million people

* Prevention of more than 12 million new infections

* Care for more than 12 million people, including five million orphans and vulnerable children.

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, including faith-and community-based organizations.

PEPFAR draws upon the capabilities of faith-and community-based organizations to contribute to an effective, multi-sectoral response to the HIV/AIDS pandemic. These organizations are uniquely positioned to promote HIV/AIDS stigma reduction and prevention messages, as well as to provide counseling and testing, home care, clinical services, and antiretroviral treatment. These attributes make their partnership a valuable asset in the fight against HIV/AIDS.

PEPFAR's New Partner Initiative (NPI) will award its second round of grants for HIV/AIDS prevention and care. President Bush launched the $200 million New Partners Initiative on World AIDS Day 2005 and announced the first round of grants on World AIDS Day 2006. The second round of three-year grants will award up to $36 million in 14 grants to organizations working in nine 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 one of the most diverse prevention portfolios of any international partner. In addition to the balanced, evidenced-based ABC (Abstain, Be faithful, and the correct and consistent use of Condoms) approach, the U.S. supports programs that address mother-to-child transmission, blood safety and safe medical injections, male circumcision, injecting drug users, HIV-discordant couples, alcohol abuse, and 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 approximately $3 billion and contributed approximately $2.5 billion to date - far more than any other nation.

As a result of the President's leadership, G-8 leaders in June demonstrated their commitment to work with Africa and set a goal of supporting treatment for five million HIV/AIDS-infected individuals, preventing 24 million new infections, and caring for 24 million people, including 10 million orphans and vulnerable children.

The Administration Is Working To End Discrimination Against People Living With HIV/AIDS

This winter, the Department of Homeland Security will publish a final rule establishing a categorical waiver for HIV-positive people seeking to enter the United States on short-term visas. Because the President considers the participation of people living with HIV/AIDS a critical element in the global HIV/AIDS response, he directed the Secretary of State to request and the Secretary of Homeland Security to initiate a rulemaking to propose this waiver on World AIDS Day 2006.

A 1993 law prohibits HIV-positive people from receiving visas to visit the United States without a waiver. A categorical waiver will enable HIV-positive people to enter the United States for short visits through a streamlined process.

The Administration Is Dedicated To Helping The More Than One Million Americans Living With HIV/AIDS Here At Home

The Administration is working to compassionately address the needs of people living with HIV/AIDS and to prevent new HIV infections within the United States. Each year, about half of new transmissions 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 injecting drug users and prisoners.

Since 2001, the Administration has devoted more than $89 billion to treatment and care for people living with HIV/AIDS in the United States, increasing annual treatment funding by 47 percent. In addition, the Administration has devoted approximately $18 billion to HIV/AIDS research to help develop new methods of treatment and prevention, increasing research funding by 20 percent during this same time period.

The Administration is successfully implementing the Ryan White Care Act, which helps ensure that AIDS patients can receive treatment, including lifesaving drugs. After reauthorization of the Ryan White Care Act last year, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is already seeing a better focus of Federal resources on life-extending care and improved targeting of resources to address the greatest needs.

HIV/AIDS drugs continue to be delivered to people through the Ryan White AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP).

In 2006, the Ryan White programs helped provide more than two million outpatient healthcare visits.In addition, the programs helped deliver more than 3.9 million case management visits, which are crucial to helping use Ryan White dollars wisely to fill gaps in care and help American patients navigate the U.S. healthcare system.

The President continues to support HIV tests becoming 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. HHS continues to do extensive outreach to help states put these guidelines into practice.

The President's 2008 Budget requested $93 million to purchase and distribute rapid HIV test kits that will facilitate testing of approximately three million additional Americans. Of the approximately one 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 injecting drug users.

ENDS

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