Congressman Cummings Recognizes World AIDS Day 2005

Congressman Cummings Recognizes World AIDS Day 2005

Washington, D.C. -- On World AIDS Day 2005, Congressman Elijah E. Cummings (D-MD), who is at the forefront of addressing HIV/AIDS issues, released the following statement:

"On World AIDS day, we begin by remembering the more than 25 million people from around the world who have lost their lives to this devastating disease.

"We also pray for mercy for the 40 million-plus people who are currently living with AIDS.

"World AIDS day commemorates the progress made in addressing AIDS and reminds us to keep this epidemic at the forefront of public health concerns.

"The World Health Organization estimates that the number of AIDS patients will exceed 70 million people within 20 years. However, the charge of this generation is to avert this escalation so that the number of AIDS patients eventually reaches zero.

"However, there are many obstacles to the "zero goal," such as negative stigmas, lack of information and insufficient resources.

"For that reason, we must find a way to overcome these barriers so that AIDS patients can reach the full measure of their potential as healthy world citizens.

"In Congress, I have successfully led and supported efforts for the treatment, research and prevention of AIDS on both the domestic and international fronts.

"Earlier this year, when the Congressional Black Caucus met with President Bush, I reminded the President that 67% of all new AIDS cases are African American women, and I welcomed his acknowledgment of this harsh fact.

"The following week, he responded to this through his State of the Union address by reaffirming our shared commitment to winning the world's struggle against HIV/AIDS and the importance of re-authorizing the Ryan White Act.
"I should add that 50 percent of those infected worldwide are women, and in sub-Saharan African, women account for 58 percent of AIDS patients.

"If we are to be effective in our fight against HIV and AIDS, we must ensure that women have access to treatment and support services such as family planning and maternal health services. "Further, we must empower them with education and assistance.

"We must also address the rapid increase of the spread of HIV among women via a phenomenon commonly known as ‘down low' - whereby some men are engaging in risky behavior with other men while keeping those encounters a secret from their wives or girlfriends.

"In 2003, President Bush made a promise of $15 billion in funding for Global HIV/AIDS/TB, but to date, the funding has not kept pace with the $3 billion per year commitment. Slowly phasing in the funds writes off the lives of millions who need assistance now and is too late for the 3 million people who are estimated to have died from AIDS this year.

"Today, I urge President Bush to remember his words and act upon them. I urge him to synchronize his conduct with his conscience, and make good on a promise to help save lives and stop the spread of HIV/AIDS globally.

"Without action, this controlled pandemic will soon become uncontrollable -- a result that can be thwarted with proper planning and funding.

"Finally, we can only win this fight against AIDS by working across the partisan, racial, ethnic, religious and national lines"

http://www.house.gov/cummings/press/05dec01b.htm