ENZI LAUDS PRESIDENT’S INITIATIVE TO PREVENT, TREAT AIDS ACROSS THE GLOBE

Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Mike Enzi (R-WY), Ranking Member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, today praised President Bush’s new initiative to combat HIV/AIDS across the globe, saying that the President’s plan will provide the resources needed to prevent the spread of the disease, treat those who have it, and assist children and families affected by HIV/AIDS. “In the last several years, we have made great strides in treating HIV/AIDS, but there is still much to do,” Enzi said. “By continuing our fight against HIV/AIDS across the globe, we can build on successful programs to fight back against this horrific disease. “Our global AIDS programs have been enormously successful in promoting prevention of HIV/AIDS through education and testing, providing life-saving treatment for those who have the disease, and assisting children and families whose loved ones are infected. I look forward to working with President Bush and with my colleagues to expand upon this success.” President Bush today asked Congress to double its commitment to the President's Emergency Program for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and provide $30 billion over five years to fight global HIV/AIDS after the current program expires in 2008. The administration projects that this increase would provide life-saving treatment to approximately 2.5 million people. “With these additional resources, we can ensure that more individuals and families affected by HIV/AIDS have access to the medicines and technology that can effectively halt the evolution of HIV and help them live normal lives,” Enzi said. “We can invest in education programs to help individuals and communities understand how to prevent the spread of the disease, and we can assist children orphaned by HIV/AIDS.”Though the task of combating the global spread of AIDS is daunting, Enzi said that global AIDS programs have made great strides in just the last several years: • In 2006, the US committed $3.26 billion for the global fight against HIV/AIDS, and in 2007, $4.032 billion is proposed to help fight this disease in more than 120 countries.• In 2001, only 50,000 people on the entire African continent were receiving treatment for AIDS. This year, almost 800,000 people in Africa are receiving life-saving treatment.• Nearly 9 million people received testing and treatment services through America’s global AIDS initiative in 2003, and more than 1.2 million orphans of the AIDS epidemic have been cared for with these funds.• In the 6 African countries most affected by this epidemic, the rate of new infections among youth has fallen by more than 25 percent since 2001 – a testament to the investment in education, testing, and prevention strategies in those countries.