Every 9.5 minutes, there is 1 new HIV infection in the US and 45 new infections worldwide. In that same timespan, there are 36 AIDS related deaths world wide. Given these troubling statistics, you would think our leaders in Congress would follow through on US commitments to fight AIDS at home and abroad and put our money where our proverbial mouth is. Unfortunately, the Senate is poised to do quite the opposite this week by flat-funding and even cutting funding for US and domestic HIV/AIDS treatment prevention and care programs.
I just returned from a rally in the pouring rain of Boston calling on Senate Majority Leader Reid and Speaker Pelosi to fund the fight.
We know that AIDS is not in recession. Unfortunately, leaders in Congress are beginning to play politics with people's lives and are considering plans to scale back funding levels for Global and domestic HIV/AIDS programs. Today, activists from around the country are making their voices heard by holding rallies and calling our leaders in Congress. Speaker Pelosi and Majority Leader Reid have the political power to fulfill our commitments to fight AIDS and its time to demand they do.
I tend to stay away from numbers games and estimates, because each side of the argument can always scare up their own set of numbers to prove their point. But here is how the numbers on funding are currently breaking down.
Last year, Congress passed PEPFAR2 a $48 billion over 5 year program aimed at fighting AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria in the countries hardest hit by the epidemics. I posted a few months ago about my experience in Uganda and what we where hearing from our partners on the ground there. I am sad to report, that things are looking even grimmer and Dr. Mugyeni is being forced to return to the early days of the AIDS epidemic when there was no treatment available.
With much fanfare, in April President Obama(man I still love saying that) announced a new global health strategy and a budget of $63 billion over 6 years. Unfortunately, his budget is drastically short of what is actually needed. This $63 billion is for ALL global health initiatives inlcuding PEPFAR2, the Global Fund and all other bilateral and multilateral global health initiatives. Physicians for Human Rights has estimated the need for JUST PEPFAR2 over a 6 year period is nearly $60 billion. And to actually meet the goals outlined by the Obama Administration for all global health initiatives, the ones Candidate Obama made on the Campaign trail, and all of the US committments through G8, G20, Millenium Development Goals, etc. would be nearly $90 billion, quite possibly significantly more.
Now this is simple math even George Bush could do. If you have $63 billion, but need $90 billion, you have a funding gap of $27 billion.
To scale back our commitments and underfund US programs would be a recipe for chaos. We've got say that 36 people dying every 9.5 minutes from a treatable and preventable disease is unacceptable. The US has the resources to continue to lead the world in the fight against AIDS and other global health initiatives. The eyes of those most in need are looking towards the US this week. Help us get the message to Senator Reid and Speaker Pelosi and tell them to fund the fight.
In the time it took you to read this, there was 1 new HIV infection in the US, 45 worldwide, and 36 AIDS related deaths worldwide.