Reflecting America’s commitment to saving lives affected by HIV/AIDS, the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) announced encouraging new results achieved by its efforts to support countries in providing HIV prevention, treatment and care to their people. Among these results, the U.S. is directly supporting life-saving antiretroviral treatment for more than 3.2 million men, women and children worldwide as of September 30, 2010, up from less than 2.5 million in 2009. In the coming years, the U.S. has committed to directly support more than four million people on treatment, more than doubling the number of people directly supported on treatment during the first five years of PEPFAR.
Combating HIV/AIDS is a shared global responsibility. In addition to PEPFAR’s direct impact, many also benefit from programs supported by the U.S. and other donors through the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Of the estimated 5.2 million individuals in low- and middle-income countries who currently receive treatment, nearly 4.7 million receive support through PEPFAR bilateral programs, the Global Fund, or both. The U.S. is the first and largest donor to the Global Fund, having provided more than $5.1 billion to date and announced an historic multi-year pledge of $4 billion for 2011-2013, a 38 percent increase in U.S. support.
Support for prevention of new HIV infections, and for care and support for those affected by HIV, are other areas in which PEPFAR programs show encouraging progress. PEPFAR directly supported antiretroviral prophylaxis to prevent mother-to-child HIV transmission for more than 600,000 HIV-positive pregnant women in fiscal year 2010, allowing more than 114,000 infants to be born HIV-free. Through its partnerships with more than 30 countries, PEPFAR directly supported 11 million people with care and support, including nearly 3.8 million orphans and vulnerable children, in fiscal year 2010 alone. PEPFAR directly supported HIV counseling and testing for nearly 33 million people in fiscal year 2010, providing a critical entry point to prevention, treatment, and care.
Building on these and other global health successes supported by the American people, President Barack Obama put forward an ambitious U.S. Global Health Initiative to support countries as they improve the health of their own people. The Initiative seeks to save the greatest number of lives in a sustainable way by building upon what works. The U.S. will continue to work with the global community to build on success to date by making smart investments to save more lives.
For more information, visit the newly redesigned PEPFAR website, www.PEPFAR.gov.
