AIDS Educators, World Leaders Commemorate World AIDS Day

Monday, December 1, marks the 20th anniversary of World AIDS Day, and on the eve of Barack Obama’s inauguration, AIDS educators and health professionals the world over are looking forward to a new direction and renewed dedication in fighting the world epidemic.

Though much of the focus on AIDS has shifted to Africa over the past several years, stateside, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported this summer that new infections in 2006, the most recent year for which data was available, amounted to 56,300, about 40% more than the CDC's previous estimate of 40,000 new infections each year. Fifty-three percent of cases were among men who have sex with men, and African-Americans accounted for 45% of new infections.

AIDS educators -- perhaps predicting a dramatic shift in leadership in this country -- got off to an ambitious start toward turning those numbers back around in June when the second annual “Test 1 Million” event in Los Angeles vowed to test 1 million black Americans for HIV before World AIDS Day.

That number caught on with educators around the globe. Earlier this week, the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, which provides services to nearly 100,000 people in the United States, Africa, Asia, and Latin America, launched its own campaig, for 1 million tests on World AIDS Day alone.

Countries around the globe will take place in this year’s World AIDS Day in various ways.

South Africans will observe a 15-minute period of silence to reflect on the estimated 70,000 children who are born with HIV in Africa each year.

In San Francisco, General Hospital -- home to the oldest AIDS treatment program in the United States -- will gather speakers and politicians to commemorate the 25 years the hospital has spent fighting the disease, and announce a renewed commitment to finding a cure.

Carol Bergman, acting director of the Global AIDS Alliance, said that this year, all eyes are on Obama to see if he can stand behind his promise to spend $50 billion over five years to fight AIDS on a global level.

“Obama comes into office having made a number of specific commitments, including on HIV prevention. He, along with Vice President-elect Joe Biden and Sen. Hillary Clinton, the likely next U.S. Secretary of State, signed a pledge on this issue,” Bergman said in a statement.

For more on World AIDS Day and events around the world, visit www.WorldAIDSCampaign.org. (The Advocate)

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Name: Eric
Date posted: 11/30/2008 1:39:00 PM
Hometown: Salt Lake City

Comment:
I'm hoping with Obama's election we will see the failed abstinence only education replaced with research, increased funding for Ryan White and sex education in our schools.

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