When President George W. Bush launched the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) over 20 years ago, testing positive for HIV was a death sentence for many people around the world. PEPFAR is the only bilateral U.S. global health program devoted to fighting HIV/AIDS globally, providing care and lifesaving treatments to over 20 million people in low-income countries. Because of PEPFAR, millions of babies born to mothers living with HIV are born HIV-free.
The current congressional authorization for PEPFAR expires in March 2025. Congress needs to pass new legislation to reauthorize continuation of the program. The U.S. government must uphold its commitment to eradicate HIV by extending PEPFAR’s mandate so that those currently receiving care will continue to receive support, and so that PEPFAR will be enabled to build on its great success and expand access to others who still lack access to care and treatment.
Here at home, nearly 1.2 million people live with HIV, and issues such as access to healthcare, stigma, inequality and other factors have led to increased disparities in new HIV and AIDS cases – rapidly becoming a core threat to addressing racial and gender justice inequities in our communities. Please write to your Representative/Senator asking them to support PEPFAR reauthorization and allocate robust funding for PEPFAR and domestic HIV/AIDS programs like the Housing Opportunities for Persons With AIDS (HOPWA) and Ryan White HIV/AIDS Programs.
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[Posted: 12/2/2024]
