Bipartisan Support Drives Resolution to End AIDS in Children

Statement from Charles Lyons, President and CEO of the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contact: Ryan Henson: rhenson@pedaids.org or +1 (202) 280-1537

Washington, D.C.—May 15, 2015—The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation (EGPAF) praises U.S. Congressional Representatives Barbara Lee (D-CA) and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) along with 10 other bipartisan co-sponsors for their introduction of H. Res. 265: “Recognizing the importance of a continued commitment to ending pediatric AIDS worldwide” today. For more than a decade, bipartisan U.S. leadership has been transformative in the global effort to end the AIDS epidemic and will be needed more than ever in the coming years as efforts to treat and prevent pediatric AIDS are accelerated. Today’s resolution makes a powerful statement that the charge of ending AIDS in children is one that continues to transcend party lines and political affiliation. 

As co-chairs of the Bipartisan Congressional HIV/AIDS Caucus, Reps. Lee and Ros-Lehtinen have been on the frontlines of the fight to end the AIDS epidemic. This resolution is an important demonstration of their crucial and much needed leadership and energy. Indeed, the success of these efforts depends on exactly this kind of continued and passionate bipartisan advocacy and support. As the resolution notes, existing commitments to end pediatric AIDS are coming to an end in the near future. We must renew these commitments and reignite our resolve to devote ourselves to the challenges that lie ahead.

Almost 700 children are infected with HIV every day. Another 500 children living with HIV will not live to see tomorrow. Only one quarter of the 3.2 million children living with HIV in the world have access to the medicines they need to stay alive. 

These statistics tell a clear story of the state of pediatric AIDS around the world: in the midst of great progress there is still so much work to be done and many hardships to overcome. Together, we can rewrite this story for the children, mothers, and families affected by the AIDS epidemic. We can ensure that the ending is a happy one.

About the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation (EGPAF):
EGPAF is the global leader in the fight against pediatric HIV/ AIDS and has reached more than 20 million women with services to prevent transmission of HIV to their babies. It currently supports more than 7,000 health facilities and works in 15 countries to implement prevention, care, and treatment services; to further advance innovative research; and to execute global advocacy activities that bring dramatic change to the lives of millions of women, children, and families worldwide. For more information, visit www.pedaids.org.