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On Wednesday in Cape Town, US
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton signed a new agreement to support
South Africa’s AIDS-fighting efforts, but she stressed this does not mean “that
the US is bowing out” of the country.
“Let me say this clearly: The US is
not going anywhere,” Clinton said. “The partnership is changing for the better.
Our goal is no new patients - zero.”
The agreement spotlights South
Africa’s progress from the past - when former President Thabo Mbeki denied the
scientific evidence that HIV causes AIDS - to the present, when the nation is
running the world’s largest AIDS treatment program.
More than 1.3 million South Africans
now receive AIDS drugs, and the infection rate for babies born to HIV-positive
mothers has fallen from 8 percent in 2008 to 2.7 percent in 2011. Clinton
noted, however, “Even as we take a moment to say ‘well done,’ we cannot make
the mistake of thinking that our job is done. The disease is still very
dangerous.”
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!
