On the Road to an AIDS-Free Generation

 BY ERIC GOOSBY 
Ambassador Eric Goosby serves as U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator and head of the Office of Global Health Diplomacy.

2012 was an extraordinary year.

As of September 30, 2012, PEPFAR directly supported lifesaving antiretroviral treatment (ART) for nearly 5.1 million people -- a nearly three-fold increase since 2008. PEPFAR also supported drugs to prevent mother-to-child transmission for nearly 750,000 HIV-positive women in 2012 alone, allowing approximately 230,000 infants to be born HIV-free, and HIV testing and counseling for more than 46.5 million people over the same time period.

These are not just statistics but they represent lives saved, and hope renewed for millions of families and communities. A decade ago, almost no one in Africa was receiving treatment. Today, over 8 million men, women, and children in developing countries are on ART, with the vast majority of them being in sub-Saharan Africa.

Every American should be profoundly proud of the United States' role in supporting this progress. Both President Obama and Secretary Clinton have repeatedly reaffirmed America's commitment to the global fight against AIDS through PEPFAR. In November 2011, the Secretary declared that the world is at the point where an AIDS-free generation is in sight. On World AIDS Day 2011, the President announced ambitious new PEPFAR prevention and treatment targets, which we are on track to reach by the end of 2013.

This past July, the 19th International AIDS Conference came to the U.S. for the first time since 1990. During the Conference, Secretary Clinton called on PEPFAR to develop a blueprint to inform the next Congress, the next Secretary of State, and all of our partners about all that we have learned, and how the U.S. will contribute to creating an AIDS-free generation moving forward. And in recognition of World AIDS Day 2012, the Secretary unveiled the PEPFAR Blueprint: Creating an AIDS-free Generation, which sends an unequivocal message that the U.S. commitment to the global AIDS response will remain strong, comprehensive, and driven by science.

The White House Honors World AIDS Day 2012

A giant red AIDS ribbon is put on display in honor of World AIDS Day on the North Portico of the White House, Nov. 30, 2012. (Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson)

Today, December 1, 2012 is World AIDS Day. Every year on this day,  the world comes together to stand with people affected by HIV/AIDS, to remember those we have lost and to renew our commitment to ending the pandemic once and for all. 

Last year on World AIDS Day, President Obama announced ambitious new targets in the global fight against HIV/AIDS, and on the domestic front focused on investment to support the first comprehensive National HIV/AIDS Strategy to fight the epidemic here at home.

One year later, the President's commitments have translated into real measurable progress. As of today, we are treating over 5 million people with lifesaving medicines for AIDS, up from 1.7 million in 2008, and are on track to treat 6 million people by the end of 2013.  This year, we have also reached over 700,000 HIV-positive pregnant women with antiretroviral drugs that will prevent them from passing the virus to their children. We are making real progress, but the fight is not over.

As the President stated in his Proclamation for World AIDS Day 2012: 

Creating an AIDS-free generation is a shared responsibility. It requires commitment from partner countries, coupled with support from donors, civil society, people living with HIV, faith-based organizations, the private sector, foundations, and multilateral institutions. We stand at a tipping point in the fight against HIV/AIDS, and working together, we can realize our historic opportunity to bring that fight to an end.
Today, we reflect on the strides we have taken toward overcoming HIV/AIDS, honor those who have made our progress possible, and keep in our thoughts all those who have known the devastating consequences of this illness. The road toward an AIDS-free generation is long -- but as we mark this important observance, let us also remember that if we move forward every day with the same passion, persistence, and drive that has brought us this far, we can reach our goal. We can beat this disease. On World AIDS Day, in memory of those no longer with us and in solidarity with all who carry on the fight, let us pledge to make that vision a reality.

U.S. Government Announces Implementation Science Awards on Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV

Today the U.S. Department of State’s Office of U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator, in collaboration with the National Institutes of Health’s Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), announced plans to award grants totaling up to $7.5 million over the next two years to advance efforts to prevent transmission of HIV from mothers to their newborn children. The funds will support implementation science projects to inform the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) as it continues to implement programs for prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT). The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and the Office of Research on Women’s Health (ORWH) at the National Institutes of Health have also provided co-funding for some of the grants.

Improved effectiveness of PMTCT programs, including life-saving antiretroviral therapy for pregnant HIV-infected women who require treatment for their own health, is a high priority for PEPFAR. Implementation science is critical to ensure that evidence-based and scalable interventions address current barriers to effective PMTCT programs. The results from successful operational and implementation science research are essential to improved program and health system performance.

PEPFAR is supporting countries to achieve the goal of eliminating new pediatric HIV infections by 2015 while keeping mothers alive. Great strides have been made in the development of highly effective interventions for PMTCT, yet further studies are needed to reduce the barriers which remain in order to deliver these interventions in resource-limited settings.

These funds will support nine implementation science awards to address a wide variety of topics. These include: optimizing integrated PMTCT services; increasing uptake and retention of PMTCT services; facilitating HIV testing and education of male partners; examining the effect of ‘buddy’ systems to help mothers adhere to feeding guidelines; comparing cost-effectiveness of faith-based- and clinic-based approaches; closing the gaps in early infant diagnosis; and measuring the impact of PMTCT programs on maternal and infant health outcomes. These studies link directly to programs, researchers and institutions in seven countries receiving PEPFAR support. In addition, the Center for Global Health Studies at NIH’s Fogarty International Center will organize bi-annual meetings as a forum for a network of funded researchers, key collaborators, and PMTCT implementers to exchange information as the research progresses.

These studies will support PEPFAR’s focus on using scientific evidence to inform policy and programs. Data gathered through these evaluations will also help maximize the impact of investments globally, contributing to the goal of achieving an AIDS-free generation.

For additional information, visit www.pepfar.gov.

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton To Unveil The President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) Blueprint: Creating an AIDS-free Generation

On Thursday November 29, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will commemorate World AIDS Day 2012 and unveil the PEPFAR Blueprint: Creating an AIDS-free Generation that provides a roadmap for how the U.S. government will work to help achieve an AIDS-free generation. Secretary Clinton will be joined by Ambassador Eric P. Goosby, U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator. The event will take place at 10:30 am in the Benjamin Franklin Room at the Department of State.

Secretary Clinton will be joined by:

Ambassador Eric P. Goosby, U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator
Michel Sidibe, UNAIDS Executive Director
Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, Chairperson of the African Union Commission
Florence Ngobeni-Allen, Ambassador for the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation

This event is open to the press and will be streamed live at www.state.gov.