President Bush signed legislation on July 30 that triples U.S. funding to fight AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis around the world. The five-year, $48 billion plan renews a program credited with saving millions of lives in Africa alone and is widely seen as one of the major achievements of the Bush presidency. Bush said the program, launched by him in 2003, "is the largest commitment by any nation to combat a single disease in human history."While the efforts of Bush to combat AIDS around the world should be applauded, a recent article by CNN reveals that AIDS is the leading cause of death among black women between 25 and 34, and the second-leading cause of death in black men from 35 to 44 in the U.S. The alarming data suggests that the AIDS epidemic among African-Americans in some parts of the United States is as severe as in parts of Africa. For example, in Washington D.C., more than 80 percent of HIV cases are among black people, that's one in 20 residents. If this is the case, why is President Bush signing a bill to allot funds to third world countries when the epidemic is overwhelmingly prevalent in the U.S.?
http://www.cnn.com/2008/HEALTH/conditions/07/29/black.aids.report/index.html#cnnSTCText
3 comments:
AIDS is real but the #'s they put out to white america's is b.s. They are discrediting our Black women on purpose black women are NOT 23 times more likely to contract AIDs. They are trying to make sure no other races breed with black people. Aids is real and its in our community but white folks made the desease to wipe out the our people in Africa & the only answer they tell americans is "a black man fucked a monkey"
Statement From Obama:
We have now learned that 56,300 new HIV infections occurred in the United States in 2006, not 40,000 that had been previously cited. These new figures should bring new focus to our efforts to address AIDS and HIV here at home.
As president, I am committed to developing a National AIDS Strategy to decrease new HIV infections and improve health outcomes for Americans living with HIV/AIDS. Across the nation, we also need to prevent the spread of HIV and get people into treatment by expanding access to testing and comprehensive education programs. This report also demonstrates the need for more timely data about HIV transmission so that we can effectively evaluate prevention efforts.
Combating HIV/AIDS also demands closing the gaps in opportunity that exist in our society so that we can strengthen our public health. We must also overcome the stigma that surrounds HIV/AIDS - a stigma that is too often tied to homophobia. We need to encourage folks to get tested and accelerate HIV/AIDS research toward an effective cure because we have a moral obligation to join together to meet this challenge, and to do so with the urgency this epidemic demands.
I know this is dead now but....As a health care professional I see the after effects of what the US health care system has done to black people. We are one of the least represented in health care professions but at the top of the list for worst health status. Diabetes, hypertension, infant mortality, traumatic injury, and yes HIV. It is an extremely complex issue that continues to be put on the back burner. No it's not surprising that Bush is focusing more attention internationally, wasn't the same disregard shown during Hurricane Katrina?
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