House Passage of PEPFAR Reauthorization Bill Affirms Bipartisan Support for Global AIDS Program; Legislation Expands Lifesaving HIV/AIDS Prevention and Treatment for Mothers and Children
4/2/2008
Contact: Robert Yule
202.448.8456
ryule@pedaids.org
Statement of Pamela W. Barnes, President and Chief Executive Officer, The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation
House passage of PEPFAR marks a rare triumph for bipartisanship in Washington, on a bill that reaffirms PEPFAR’s status as the most successful public health and foreign policy initiative of the Bush Administration. The bill authorizes $50 billion for PEPFAR over the next five years, reflecting the unquestioned success of the program to date as well as the scope of the AIDS pandemic.
As the largest provider of services for the prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) under PEPFAR, and a leader in providing pediatric and family-centered care and treatment, we applaud the House’s action to address the devastating effect of HIV/AIDS on women and children around the globe.
This legislation will help us protect the health of mothers and prevent the spread of AIDS by setting targets to dramatically increase access to PMTCT services. Last year, approximately 420,000 children were infected with HIV, most of them by mother-to-child transmission. Tragically, most of those infections could have been prevented with the tools and knowledge we already possess. This bill endeavors to make those services available to thousands more women who desperately need them.
The House bill also sets targets for pediatric treatment that ensure children will not be left behind when it comes to receiving the critical medicines they need to lead full and healthy lives. While children represent almost 17 percent of all new infections, only 11 percent of children around the world in need of antiretroviral (ARV) treatment currently receive it. The bill would help fix this inequity with a target to make pediatric treatment more commensurate with the rate of infection in children.
In order to make sure that all PEPFAR dollars are spent wisely, the House legislation also prioritizes operations research to evaluate and implement the best methods available for fighting the pandemic.
We applaud Chairman Howard Berman (D-CA) and Ranking Member Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), as well as Representatives Jim McDermott (D-WA) and Kay Granger (R-TX) for their important leadership on this legislation. We are pleased that the House has come together in a bipartisan spirit to renew this vitally needed program, and we urge the Senate to quickly pass similar legislation to provide continued hope to mothers, children, and families living with HIV/AIDS around the world.
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About the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation
The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation is a worldwide leader in the fight against pediatric AIDS. Its innovative research programs, collaborative training initiatives, advocacy efforts, and rapidly expanding international prevention and treatment programs are bringing dramatic changes to the lives of children worldwide.