In Commemoration of the 36th Annual World AIDS Day and of AIDS Awareness Month

Floor Speech

Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the 26th Annual World AIDS Day, which also marks the beginning of AIDS Awareness Month. This year's theme is ``Focus, Partner, Achieve: An AIDS-free Generation,'' which embodies the core strategy for reversing the AIDS epidemic domestically and internationally.

Since its establishment by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1988, World AIDS Day has served as a call to action and a living memorial to all those whose lives have been lost to the disease across the globe. According to WHO, an estimated 39 million people have died since the first cases were reported in 1981 and 1.5 million people died of AIDS-related causes in 2013.

In the United States, more than 1.2 million people are currently living with HIV, with almost one in seven (14 percent) unaware of their infection. We also know that the burden of HIV infection continues to fall greatest on men who have sex with men (MSM), African Americans, Hispanics/Latinos, and young people, who account for the majority of the approximately 50,000 new HIV infections each year.
Furthermore, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report that only 25 percent of Americans living with HIV are virally suppressed and successfully making it through the HIV care continuum. This means that about 825,000 people living with HIV are not receiving the full benefits of treatment, and may be unknowingly passing the virus on to others.

Treatment remains the most promising tool we have to creating an AIDS-free generation. Because of continued advancements in antiretroviral drugs and efforts to link individuals to care, more people living with HIV are able to manage the disease and lead active, productive lives. If we can increase the number of individuals living with HIV who are on treatment, then we can achieve global AIDS control. One year ago, S. 1545, the PEPFAR Stewardship and Oversight Act of 2013, was signed into law and stands as a symbol of our nation's enduring commitment to ending AIDS worldwide.

At the 2014 International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2014) in Melbourne, Australia, AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) and other civil society organizations introduced the ``20x20 Campaign,'' which aims to have 20 million people on antiretroviral therapy by 2020. In addition, UNAIDS proposed the ``90-90-90'' treatment goals, which are to have 90 percent of people infected with HIV know their status, 90 percent of people infected with HIV on treatment, and 90 percent of those on treatment with an undetectable viral load all by 2020.

Ultimately, however, the future is in our hands. We know how to stop the transmission of HIV and help people living with AIDS stay as healthy as possible. It starts with raising public awareness, knowing your status, and challenging the stigma that prevents so many within our communities from accessing the care they need.

Finally, I would also like to take this opportunity to remember the dozens of scientists, researchers, and activists who perished when Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 was shot down over eastern Ukraine on July 17, 2014. They were en route to AIDS 2014. Among them was world-renowned scientist Dr. Joep Lange, his partner Jacqueline van Tongeren, and WHO spokesman Glenn Thomas. Theirs was truly a tragic loss for the global AIDS response.

Mr. Speaker, as we look to the start of the 114th Congress, it is imperative that we remain committed to continuing the fight against HIV/AIDS, and address the ongoing effects of sequestration on HIV care in the United States. I urge my colleagues to join me in recognizing World AIDS Day and AIDS Awareness Month, as well as supporting vital HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment, and care programs, including the Ryan White Program and Affordable Care Act (ACA).

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