JOHN KERRY’S COMMITMENT TO FIGHTING HIV/AIDS: As the author of the most comprehensive HIV/AIDS bill ever to pass the Senate and a proven fighter to expand funding for US bilateral and global AIDS programs, John Kerry understands that the HIV/AIDS epidemic has implications for the life and death of millions of men, women and children across the globe as well as for global security. HIV/AIDS tears apart the fabric of families, communities, and nations, leaving in its wake orphaned and infected children, broken families, schools without teachers, and communities without leaders. Countries that have struggled for decades to improve are faced with weakened economies, debilitated military forces, and a deteriorating capacity to govern effectively and cope with rising health care costs. These countries could well become the home base for terrorists or criminal elements looking for a safe haven or even for those trading in weapons of mass destruction.
THE HIV/AIDS CRISIS: More than 20 million people have already died from AIDS and an estimated 40 million people around the world are living with HIV/AIDS, among them 2.5 million children under the age of 15. This year alone, AIDS claimed 3 million people, the vast majority of them in sub-Saharan Africa; another 5 million became infected with the HIV virus. In sub-
Saharan Africa, only 2% of those who need medicine actually have access to it. The CIA predicts that as many as 100 million could become infected by the end of the decade. And infections and deaths are rising steadily, despite the increased resources that the international community has committed to this deadly epidemic. In the United States, infection rates are again increasing, especially in communities of color. Far too many people living with HIV in the United States are falling between the cracks and being denied the treatment and essential services they need. John Kerry understands that the world is still at the beginning of this epidemic, and sadly, the response continues to be more talk than action.
John Kerry believes that HIV/AIDS is the great public health and humanitarian crisis of our times – and a fundamental security issue. He believes that fighting AIDS – and tuberculosis (TB) and malaria, the other two most deadly global infectious diseases – must be at the forefront of America’s foreign policy and national security agendas. John Kerry will ensure that the United States truly leads the international community’s effort to combat the HIV/AIDS pandemic not through words but through deeds – through increased resources, programs driven by science not ideology, and tangible and meaningful support for multilateral efforts, particularly the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
