The following is a statement from National Minority AIDS Council (NMAC) Director of Treatment, Education and Mobilization (TEAM) Moises Agosto in response to President Obama’s World AIDS Day remarks, in which he committed an additional $100 million in research funding for HIV as well as $5 billion to combat HIV around the globe.
Washington, DC – “We have made incredible advances in the fight against HIV/AIDS. Life expectancies for those who acquire HIV today – and can access the necessary care – are almost equivalent to those of HIV-negative individuals. Treatment has been shown to reduce the risk of transmitting the virus to sexual partners, while pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) has the potential to transform the nature of HIV prevention. None of this would have been possible with out the significant investments in research made by the government over the last three decades. President Obama’s announcement today that he would invest an additional $100 million in HIV research ensures that America will continue to lead on this front.
“At the same time, the President’s commitment of $5 billion to combat the global pandemics of AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, demonstrates his continued commitment to combatting this disease on all fronts, both in the U.S. and abroad. In an era of increasing globalization, we cannot expect traditional and fragmented public health strategies to be effective. Just as the financial crisis in America affected economies around the world, so too does the ability of other nations to combat the HIV pandemic impact our own ability to do the same. NMAC applauds President Obama’s continued leadership in this struggle and will continue to stand with him, his administration and all those working to bring an end to this epidemic.”
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Contact: Kyle Murphy, (202) 803-8027