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Former President Bill Clinton
rallied activists to press on and not give up as he delivered closing remarks
Friday at the 19th International AIDS Conference in Washington.
“You should be really excited by
this moment,” Clinton said. “We will do well as long as we refuse to let what
we don’t have slow us down.” Eight million people are now receiving HIV drugs,
and the ability exists to treat millions more, he said.
Clinton launched the Clinton Health
Access Initiative in 2002 to help address HIV/AIDS in the developing world. On
Friday, CHAI reported on a study showing that HIV treatment costs in four African
countries have dropped to about $200 per patient per year - a figure that
includes expenses for testing, drugs, and health care staff. These results
indicate that universal access to high-quality HIV treatment is “achievable,
sustainable, and within our means,” the former president said.
UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador Whoopi
Goldberg warned of the global threat of TB, particularly for those co-infected
with HIV. “To end AIDS, we have to join together to tackle TB and HIV as one
disease,” she said.
Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), the
House minority leader, warned that it is a “false economy” to cut AIDS funding
because “it costs us more in the future.” She said she will fight to maintain
AIDS resources, and she added that the US Affordable Care Act will provide
significant protection to those living with HIV.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is
dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and
empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV
virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
