Recent news
September 2011
Op-Ed argues the world is ‘at a tipping point’ in fight against AIDS
September 19, 2011 -- An op-ed in the Huffington Post argues that we are finally within reach of eliminating HIV/AIDS across the globe, thanks in large part to advances in research and development (R&D).
The authors, current head of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) Eric Goosby and former PEPFAR head Mark Dybul, attribute this tipping point in the fight against AIDS to the commitment of the American people and bipartisan support for scientific advances in treatment and prevention.
The piece highlights the success of PEPFAR and research gains made possible by agencies like the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the US Agency for International Development (USAID). For example, several recent studies have highlighted research gains in new prevention options, such as gels to prevent HIV in women and using antiretroviral drugs to prevent infection.
The continued bipartisan support for PEPFAR, created by President George W. Bush nearly ten years ago, is creating a renewed sense of hope and belief that AIDS can be defeated.
“If these new tools are implemented in a strategic way, in concert with behavior change and condom programs, we can now look to the possibility of driving the epidemic into the ground,” argue the authors in the piece.
This article was published at a timely juncture in the fight against AIDS, as this week also marks the inception of a Congressional HIV/AIDS Caucus. The bipartisan caucus will be led by House members Jim McDermott (D-WA), Barbara Lee (D-CA), and Trent Franks (R-AZ) and will fight to eradicate AIDS and protect funding for HIV/AIDS programs domestically and internationally.
