We can win this fight

The pledges, though involving only modest amounts of new money, were applauded by AIDS groups and scientists who have been pushing for a stepped-up effort by the U.S., the world's largest donor to HIV/AIDS programs. The push comes as scientists finally have developed sufficient tools to contain the 30-year-old pandemic, which infects about 2.7 million new people globally each year. A total of about 34 million people globally are moncler jackets currently infected with HIV. "We can beat this disease. We can win this fight," Mr. Obama said at a World AIDS Day event in Washington. "We just have to keep at it, steady, persistent—today, tomorrow, every day until we get to zero." Scientists recently determined that AIDS drugs, known as antiretrovirals, not only can restore HIV-infected people to health but also can make them far less infectious to others. But getting the drugs to more people has been complicated by a downturn in global funding to combat HIV/AIDS that is forcing governments and health officials to cut costs. Specifically, Mr. Obama called for spending an extra $15 million through the Ryan White Care Act to treat patients in HIV clinics in the U.S. He also directed $35 million to state AIDS-drug-assistance programs, which have struggled to find money to buy enough drugs amid budget shortfalls. Nearly 6,600 people were on waiting lists for AIDS drugs from the programs in 12 states as of mid-November, according to the National Alliance of State & Territorial AIDS Directors (Nastad). About 1.2 million people in the U.S. are infected with HIV. Globally, Mr. Obama called for putting about 2.1 million more people on AIDS drugs by the end of fiscal 2013, a pledge that drew a long standing ovation in the auditorium at George Washington University on Thursday. That would bring the total number of people the U.S. has put in treatment through its main global AIDS assistance program, Men - moncler jackets the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (Pepfar), at six million. About one million new recipients would be added to the program's rolls in both fiscal 2012 and 2013, up from about 700,000 added in fiscal 2011. Mr. Obama also pledged to provide drugs to 1.5 million HIV-infected pregnant women globally in the next two years to prevent them from infecting their children. With his new treatment goal, Mr. Obama "put a down payment toward ending AIDS," said Matthew Kavanagh, director of U.S. advocacy for Health GAP, a U.S.-based AIDS organization. "This will help open the floodgates to antiretrovirals in so many countries," he said. While not asking Congress for more money, Mr. Obama must fight to keep his fiscal 2012 budget request intact. Both the House and the Senate are considering appropriations for global health, including for HIV/AIDS, that are below his fiscal 2012 request. They also are considering some reductions in domestic HIV/AIDS spending for fiscal 2012, which ends next Sept. 30. Mr. Obama praised Congress for its bipartisan support for HIV/AIDS programs over the years, and he urged it to "keep the commitments you've made intact." Speaking at the same event via satellite from Tanzania, former President George W. Bush also urged the U.S. and other governments not to cut HIV/AIDS spending, arguing that funding for treatment should remain a priority despite budgetary struggles. "I believe we are required to support effective programs that save lives," Mr. Bush said, referring to Pepfar, the program he launched as president. Obama administration officials said the new goal would be met without a budget increase by continuing to lower the cost of drugs. In 2004, the U.S. spent over $1,100 a year for drugs and services for each patient, but has now lowered that cost to $335 a year. Recipient countries such as South Africa are also kicking in and contributing more to the program, lowering the cost to the U.S. "We're going to have to find new efficiencies, make choices, learn what works in the field and what doesn't," said Chris Collins, vice president and director of policy for amfAR, an organization that promotes support for AIDS research and HIV prevention. Also appearing at the event via satellite was moncler jackets for women former President Bill Clinton, who led a drive to allow the U.S. to purchase generic AIDS drugs for Pepfar. He suggested the struggling state drug-assistance programs in the U.S. also be allowed to purchase generic AIDS drugs in the next two years to help relieve the waiting lists.