Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2006. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
USIS Washington File - February 8, 2006
Charlene Porter, Washington File Staff Writer
"Prevention is the first line of defense," said Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice as she announced that U.S.-backed prevention programs now reach 42 million people.
Programs to ensure that HIV-positive pregnant women do not pass the virus to their babies have helped more than 3 million women, Rice said, almost 2 million in 2005 alone.
"By the end of last year, the Emergency Plan had expanded treatment in the 15 focus countries to 400,000 people, plus an additional 71,000 individuals [in other nations]," Rice said. "It is especially worth noting that 60 percent of these new people being treated are women."
The five-year, $15 billion plan targets disease assistance to the most hard-hit nations, by working to provide immediate assistance but also to help these countries in Africa, Asia and the Caribbean improve their health care systems and increase their capacity to cope with the epidemic.
In 2005, the United States invested $2.8 billion in the program, and has set aside $3.2 billion for PEPFAR programs in 2006.
The program's treatment component expanded in 2005 to deliver AIDS treatment to 401,000 people in the 15 focus countries, and 471,000 worldwide, according to the report prepared for the U.S. Congress.
Providing care for people living with AIDS and those affected by the disease is PEPFAR's third component. The report says programs now reach almost 3 million people, including 1.2 million orphans and vulnerable children.
U.S. agencies are forming partnerships with local community groups as they work to achieve these goals and enhance their long-term ability to care for the sick and deliver public health services. During a briefing at the State Department, Rice said those arrangements will build a foundation for the future.
"The Emergency Plan is helping to prepare these local partners -- over half a million in 2005 alone," Rice said. "And the effects of this training will ripple out for decades."
Global AIDS Coordinator Randall Tobias underscored the significance of the partnerships being built for the delivery of health services.
"One of the most exciting developments today is the growing number of people from Africa, Asia and the Caribbean who are stepping up to the challenge of HIV/AIDS," said Tobias.
These community leaders include people who live with the virus, bringing a unique perspective to the delivery of care and services.
"Many are women, overcoming significant obstacles, helping to build a better life for other women, children and men," he said.
"Action Today, Foundation for Tomorrow" highlights progress toward the goals President Bush established when he first outlined the plan, but Rice cautioned that the magnitude of the pandemic will require "decades of hard work ahead."
The transcript of the secretary's briefing and the full text of the report (PDF, 166 pages) are available on the State Department's Web site.
For additional information on U.S. policy, see HIV/AIDS.
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