E-mail updates
Follow on Twitter
Subscribe to RSS
Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images
Workers hang a huge red ribbon on the North Portico of the White House ahead to commemorate World AIDS Day.
World AIDS Day is about recognizing how far we’ve come -- and how far we still have to go -- in the fight against a plague that has infected 60 million people and killed half of them.
But today, now 30 years into the epidemic, a series of setbacks threatens to dash hopes for the goal of an “AIDS-free generation.”
“Just when we were beginning to make the most progress, the rug was pulled from under us,” says David Barr, a leading activist with the International Treatment Preparedness Coalition.
Through the efforts of activists and government leaders, 6.6 million infected people around the world are now getting the drugs that stave off death. But just as important as the health effect for individuals is the discovery that the drugs drop the amount of HIV in a person’s blood to near zero so they seldom infect others. As a result of the widespread treatment, the worldwide infection rate dropped 25 percent in the past decade, according to UNAIDS.
In response to the heartening news, the UN pledged in June to raise the number treated to 15 million by 2015.
But that won’t happen. In fact, far fewer people will soon be getting the lifesaving medication.
The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, an international agency that pays for about half of HIV treatment around the world, announced last week that its last pledge round had fallen so far short of expectations that it will give no new grants until at least 2014. It will also scale back on many of its current commitments.
And here at home, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention just announced that its latest numbers reveal that only 28 percent of this nation’s1.2 million infected individuals are getting the medications they need. Twenty percent of the infected have never been tested so neither they nor their sex partners know of the danger. The CDC called for more testing.
But even if people in the U.S. know they are infected, will they get treatment? More than 50 million Americans lack access to health insurance. The U.S. does have the AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) to get medications to those who cannot afford them. But it is not clear whether or at what level Congress will re-authorize the program.
Even at current funding levels, the Kaiser Family Foundation counts more than 6,400 people in 12 states who are the waiting list for medications from ADAP. Though financed by the federal government, ADAP is administered by states, and 25 states are considering cutbacks to these programs.
These major blows to the war on AIDS require more than a day of red ribbons to set right.
Read more by Robert Bazell:
Malaria vaccine a half-effective, temporary protection
More bad news on supplements: Vitamin E risky for prostate
Robert Bazell is Chief Science and Medical Correspondent for NBC News.
Leave a Comment:
We are world in search of a vaccine or cure for HIV Aids pandemic. It is sad to note the call by the Global Fund that it will be unable to fund the supply of drugs that ameliorate the effect of the pandemic on its victims. Funding of ameliorating treatment package is an economic one and I wish to call on the United States, European Union, the G8 countries, the G20 countries, the Asia Pacific Economic Community countries, that as part their global social responsibility, they must fund and continue to fund the ameliorating treatment of Aids victims. We should remember that we should not withhold help when it is in our power to act! I also wish to call on nations substantially affected by the pandemic to allocate 0.50 % of their ad valorem tax or other forms of indirect tax as seed and recurrent funds to fund the Global Fund Initiative. Lastly my heart goes out to people living with HIV Aids, that the world will not abandon them we will rise up to the challenge.
Teach about the risk of homosexual practices is the right way to go. 63 % of male infected come from male-male sexual relation.
avert.org/usa-transmission-gender.htm
Implying straight couples don't sodomize? Really? The problem here is lack of education, and the other 47% getting the notion its a homosexual thing, real smart.
The majority of new HIV infections worldwide are straight people. Especially in Africa where there is very poor education, it is believed by many men that raping a virgin girl will cure them of their AIDS. Those raped girls and women have a considerable chance of passing the disease down to their baby.
But there is also an obvious need for education here in the USA. Everybody should be practicing safe sex. The CDC statistics linked by redvirginia shows that the #1 route of transmission for females was a heterosexual relationship, many probably got it from their cheating husbands.
Who were the cheating husbands cheating with to contract aids?
Other women. Homosexual transmission is the minority in the cases of aids transmission worldwide.
Correct, Sylv. It get's annoying after a while when people are clamoring about "cheating husbands". For every cheating man, other than same-sex relationships, there must mathematically be a cheating woman.
Either that or there are just a small handful of women servicing a huge pool of cheating men.
My sister is an infectious disease Doctor who has been to Africa. There are several problems: When the US sends AIDS drugs to foreign countries the price of these same drugs goes up in our country for our taxpayers because most people who have AIDS are on Medicaid or some form of government entitlement due to not being able to afford the AIDS drugs. Also most AIDS drugs that go over to Africa are confiscated and sold to the highest bidder. Even if the Africans get some dosages of AIDS drugs, they never get on a constant regimen and therefore it does nothing to help them. My sister stated that the best way to deter AIDS in Africa is to get the Aficans to abandon their "tribal" customs. By tribal customs I mean that when a woman's husband dies she is then given to her dead husband's next in line brother and the cycle continues. My sister stated that the tribal customs are mostly to blame for the AIDS epidemic in Africa.
the tribal customs create a natural selection process aids will do the rest only the fittest survive including only intelegents enough to know what not to do
Hilarious. You can't even spell "intelligent."
OMG, a what rare combination of ego and utter stupidity. Unfortunately this combination is becoming an ever increasing part of the far right.
Holy crap! LMMFAO. These Bags are really sad.
I am HIV+, 32 years old and was on the ADAP waiting list for a month due to the fact I was laid off from my full time job which offered me my benefits. It was horrible to think the meds I needed were not available - my 1 pill once a day cost over $1,800 - It amazes me that the US wants to end this epidemic yet we can't fund the medications which will help bring AIDS to an end. - Tom Donohue, Founding Director, Who's Positive -
are you saying $1800 per pill?
No, not per pill, per medication per month. I'm positive and am on two medications and the total price is more than $2500/month. These meds are extremely expensive.
Crazy. Bono was on the Daily Show last night saying the exact opposite. He said that today it would be announced that it's "The beginning of the end of AIDS". I hope he's right and not MSNBC.
Bono is a freak and an idiot.
We need Health care Reform to remain in effect to provide coverage for the 50 MILLION people without access to health care or medicines. Tell the Teapublicans they rre wrong. It currently costs the insured more now in subsidizing the uninsured that the Teapublicans don't care about anyway.
If you follow the Tea Party, and particularly the ones like Ron Paul, the consensus is.. best way to get rid of Aid... the infected die off, and "we" don't pay for their mistakes. Basically, they have AIDS (or any other ailments they can't pay for, cancer or what not, its only their fault they were laid off or don't make enough money), tough.
Bush put 15billion into the fight. What has Obama put into it? Little truth leaking out.
You're lying to me if you tell me if he did (if he could get anything much passed) you wouldn't call him a socialist /communist taking money from the hard working poor and giving it to lazy welfare homosexuals.
Do you honestly believe that the Tea Party and GOP would allow funding for AIDS to increase under a democratic president? Of course not, they let Bush get away with it because he was one of their own and they were getting everything else they wanted from him. They saw votes, the GOP doesn't do anything that remotely altruistic unless it benefits them and garners votes but then people like you flip-flop and make Obama look like the villain! We're not all as stupid as the Tea Partiers or the GOPers who vote for them.
Obama's proposal to increase medical research funding was shot down. In fact, the fund was cut by Republicans. Nice try there rusty-jarhead. Republicans are sabotaging education, science and medical research in the country and then claim it "all Obama's fault."
Homosexual sex risks HIV/AIDS at the alarming level of 50%. One does not have to be a rocket scientist to know what one solution is. Why are we wasting money on research for a disease that is chosen by the individual. The money should be spent on cancer or other diseases that people cannot control with behavior. Think about it. AIDS actually eliminates more AIDS! It is called the theory of evolution. If a life form practices self killing behavior, the life form dies out. Sure this is politically incorrect. But the science is clear.
You obviously don't know much about evolution. And aside from that, only about 5% of cancer is due to genetics, the rest is because of environment and lifestyle, both of which people make choices about. And let's abandon diabetes research while we're at it, since that is largely due to lifestyle too.
What about the people who do not make a choice? Accidents happen. Rape happens. Cheating spouses happen. And in the past, people got it from things like blood transfusions and hemophiliacs got it from their medicine. Globally, most people who become infected do not have a choice in the matter because they are either raped or born with it. In sub-Saharan Africa, 5% of the population has the disease. 22.5 million people. Most of them didn't get it by choice.
You just said basically, Gay = AIDS. Regardless of whatever your own legitimate opinions on homosexuality are, you are an enemy of intelligence.
Not quite sure what you're referring to in your vaguely worded "Homosexual sex risks HIV/AIDS at the alarming level of 50%" but I'm sure your statistics are bogus, as the infection rate in the gay population is far below 50%. Since you can't get this basic fact correct, I doubt if you know much about science, either.
If you look at the major diseases that kill people, in nearly all of them the victim's behavior was a contributing factor. To cite your cancer example, most cases of lung cancer occur among smokers. I don't know you personally, obviously, but the odds are high you're doing something that jeopardizes your health. Are you saying we not treat you and just let you die? Reminds me of Jesus' remark about the way you judge others is the way you yourself will be judged.
With 56,300 Americans contracting HIV in 2006, there are clearly many people who are still engaging in high-risk behaviors, and infection rates remain alarmingly high among young people, women, African Americans, and Hispanics.
you are a retard, yes let's let this disease go and spread like wild fire, this has nothing to do with evolution crack head
The solution to aids is simple. Stop having promiscuous relationships and premarital relations. If everybody followed these rules the 'pandemic' would be over after a few decades.
You could say that it's a punishment for immoral behaviors or simply natural selection at work. Is it really that hard to just 'keep it in your pants' and not pick up a different partner from the club every other night or cheat on your spouse?
While I, personally, hold the same beliefs you do regarding sex, we can't control who anyone else sleeps with and it's none of our business. Also, AIDS can be passed from mother to child, so even the most monogamous person risks spreading it to his/her partner.
Cap, not all cases are due to so-called "sexual immorality". Education is key, but human nature can never be totally altered. People will continue to have mulitple partners, extramarital affairs, and unprotected sex. But to say that any disease is punishment is ridiculous, as is the idea that "weak" people get diseases that eliminate them from the breeding population.
There's more to AIDS than what we have here in the USA. Most people who have the disease were raped.
Yep, the world would be very different if everyone was a virgin when they married, never had sex with anyone else, and never divorced and remarried.
The world would also be a very different place if everyone followed the law and there was no crime.
However, in the world we actually live in, people's behavior isn't perfect, and all society can do is try to cope with that fact.
Im gonna ignore ChicagoK/CapNchonic, its its,,,silly thinking and Im straight ,,,, mmm I think???
As the benefits of the health care reform start to come into play in peoples lives it will be very apparent the good it will do in reeling in the insurance company's screwing of America, health care never should have been attached to employment after WWII, is was a huge mistake, now lets all get on board to improve this reform
and don't deny some of you are only against it because Obama brought Romneys plan to fruition, I guarantee you or our kid or parents etc will be reaping it's benefits(no $$cap, cover your college kid till 26, no preexisting conditions,,, are only part of it) so stop your hypocritical lying
The school should teach that homosexual practices increase the transmission of AID in larger numbert han only other via. Stopping homosexual practices instead to promote is the right way to reduce contagious of HIV, you can call me homophobic if you will, but you can research as well and see the statistics, who is the group most infected with HIV..
redvirginia, in AMERICA, homosexuals are most infected. Worldwide, however, it's largely spread by heterosexuals. Being open with our youth about the risks of unprotected sex of ANY kind would be a big part of the solution in our country. Uneducated youth thinking "we can't get pregnant, we don't need a condom" is why it is such a problem among homosexuals in America. They aren't simply more susceptible because they're homosexuals. Everyone is equally susceptible, but heterosexuals use more condoms.
Allielcea, I was under the impression that kids are taught sex education in school at increasingly younger ages, in increasing detail, with increasingly open discussions.
So how could they possibly still believe they can't get pregnant?
Are you saying sex education doesn't work in the same post that you're claiming sex education is a big part of the solution?
it's the parents. My child sure as heck knows what she can get. I've been open and frank about everything. Heck, I was in college before I had even heard of aids. It is scary to think what our kids have to deal with when they grow up.
If the children still think there are no repercussion from unprotected sex, then the parents are failing in their duties.
I do believe blood tests need to be re-instituted for marriage license, and have told my child that she should insist, especially if her future intended has had more than one partner.
ChicagoK - You are absolutely correct. The cure for AIDS is behavior modifiction. Gay sex, frequenting prostitutes, sharing drug needles. Stop doing these things and 99% of AIDS infection stops.
Put the research money into curing MS, Alzheimers, and other diseases people get through no fault of their own. I watched my mother die of Alzheimers over a ten year period and it broke my heart that there was nothing we could do.
Once again, it's not "gay sex" it's unprotected sex. I'm sorry about your mother, Alzheimers is a terrible disease and I agree, funding should increase. However AIDS is not an unworthy cause. It can be spread from mother to child, so if the child stays away from all the things you mentioned, it doesn't matter one bit.
Even Alzheimer's may have some environmental/lifestyle factors as part of the cause. So, by your reasoning, even that could fall under a "choice".
Alzheimer's is VERY preventable. It's not your mother's fault she got it, we are only finding out about all these things. Even so most people will live how the heck they want. A prominent women's health magazine is simply called "Prevention" because this is the most effective step in fighting health problems, lifestyle practices.
Having gay sex doesn't give you aids, having unprotected sex no matter with who is what gives you AIDS. People who say that are part of the reason there are more AIDS infections in America, total misinformation "Or we're not gay, we're not as vulnerable to STDs".
Kat, I'd love to know how I, personally, can have direct control over much of my environment. I guess I could find the least polluted place on earth and move there, grow all my own food, make all my own toiletries, cosmetics, and cleaning products, use glass for all food containers, filter my air and water, wear only organic undyed clothing, use a bicycle for transportation, (but not on a street where cars go), and never eat fish, use a computer or cell phone, or have electricity.
To have a choice, one needs reasonable alternatives.
Actually, now that I reflect on it, that doesn't sound bad. Except I'd need electricity and a computer because I earn my living via the Internet.
Dang! Guess I'll just go out and get AIDS.
What is interesting is how the money always dries up for things that actually benefit people but always seems to flow wonderfully for things that destroy people. How much was spent on the little Libyan 'humanitarian aid' event? A few billion so that Islamic fundamentalists could take over and the oil wouldn't be nationalized?
Sadly the truth about HIV is not that funding for medications to treat infections is going to be decreased. The sad truth is the fact that most (not all) infections occur from unsafe lifestyle choices, such as, homosexual sex, unprotected sex with multiple partners (homosexual or heterosexual), I.V. drug use, etc. The number of infections that are not linked to immoral life choices is very small. We should be putting our money into helping people make better life choices, not suppling them exspensive medications. I think we should only treat those who are unknowingly infected because of someelse's immoral choice. For example, a wife is infected because she did not know her husband was sleeping with prostitutes. For those who get infected because they chose to participate in unsafe practices.... well I think we should let the disease run its course.
People who think morality needs to be enforced rather than supplying medicine to those who are DYING are crazy. I live by moral standards that seem to be close to yours. HOWEVER, I understand that people cannot be forced into moral lifestyles and that culturally around the world, morals vary. What if I said you MUST live by a "moral" you didn't believe in, and if you didn't, you don't get any help if you're dying? That's unfair and completely unrealistic.
Also "infections occur from unsafe lifestyle choices, such as, homosexual sex, unprotected sex with multiple partners..."
AIDS isn't spread by some homosexual or promiscuity gene. It can infect after ONE unsafe sexual encounter. You don't have to be homosexual or promiscuous to spread or be infected with AIDS. The problem is unsafe sex, not who you're having sex with or how many people.
If people would only have sex in the confines of a marriage relationship, then the spread of HIV would not be an issue. Even if homosexuals would only have sex in a monogomous relationship, then the spread would not be an issue. The issue is that too many people are running around sticking thier business whereever they want, so don't tell me immorallity is not a contributing factor. If everyone was only having sex with thier life partner, and that was the only person they had ever been intimate with in their life... well then it would be a non-issue. I did not say anything about forcing morality on others. I am simply saying that if they contract HIV because of their chosen lifestyle then they should not be treated. We should only treat those who are infected from no fault on thier own, i.e. a blood transfusion, a baby whose mother was infected, a spouse of an unfaithful partner, a health care worker who gets an accidental needle stick, etc.
Based on your attitude that we shouldn't treat people whose illness is the result of their behavior, we can stop most medical care today since the vast majority of all illness in this country is at least partly the result of the patient's behavior.
I guess this is the bold new plan- solve our unemployment by letting most ill people die since their behavior contributed to their medical problems.
with 30 million worldwide cases its not in the interest of drugmakers to find a cure they make trillions of the no cure drugs now why would they cut thier own nose off the 1%ers are getting real fat off this
Not in the interest? If as above the pills are $1,800 a day, and there are 30Million cases, that results in $19,710,000,000,000.00 -
That folks exceeds our national debt
To: Robert Bazell, Chief Science and Health Correspondent
This article is shockingly poor and contains FALSE INFORMATION: Obviously Mr Bazell has to inform himself before posting this on line. Ryan White foundation helps all those who qualify with access to treatment and medication... Multiple states have programs that assure that HIV infected get treatment and medical help related to HIV...
I ams eriously shocked that anyone can post such a poor article on line!!!
I'm sorry, I have to call BS on this one. My son was exposed to HIV about a year and a half ago. He went to the emergency room where he was tested and given prescriptions to be filled in the morning (this happened about 2am). He went to the pharmacy and was told the scripts would cost around $1200 - money that usually doesn't exist in our world. I called every AIDS Help number I could find. NONE of them helped; many gave me numbers to call that I had already tried. No one asked for any information regarding "qualification." It was very frustrating. I felt like I was going in circles. I will never give to any AIDS Cause because of this. There were absolutely NO programs that would help, no magical access to treatment, no medication. I was frantic. He had to get tested again at 6 months and again at one year. It was the most horrible year of our lives. Fortunately he has tested negative, but he refuses to even attempt to have a relationship with anyone again. All this from someone he knew, loved and trusted for many years.
And here we have it!! The POLITICIANS, CEO'S, TOP BUSINESSES, THE RICH ($200,000.00 and UP), ALL THE TOP MONEY MAKERS of the world. LET THEM DIE!! is what they are saying to the WORLD.
I call that MURDER, and REPREHENSIBLE!!!! But if it happens to ANYONE of THEM, You bet your ASS they will be the FIRST to receive the LIFE SAVING DRUGS.
GOD needs to come down to Earth and send all of these GREED MINDED SLUGS to HELL. Where Lucifer can treat them to more wellness a fiery grave.
This WORLD is doomed at this rate of no COMPASSION to your fellow Human Kind. The TOP is not seeing that they who HOLD THE PURSE are destroying mankind.
Really SAD state of affairs. I PRAY FOR ALL WHO ARE SICK & DYING. This unfair WORLD!!!
I'm guessing maybe you're being ironic or trolling. I don't like the top cutoff being at $200k, because anyone who does any research and sees who's at the $200k mark, its just small businesses that work hard, and yes they make more money than the rest of us, but they shouldn't be considered on the same level of influence as FreddyMac or Bank of America. A lot of the Obama policies are hitting them hard, and its the wrong people.
The AIDS epidemic in America could be getting worse because in 2009 Obama issued an executive order lifting the ban on "legal" immigrants who are HIV/AIDS positive. There's a reason why countries have such protectionist bans and (it's not just the U.S.) and that's to prevent infections from other countries infecting them. There's no telling how many illegal immigrants could be infected since Obama won't secure our borders and sues states who tries to do what he won't.
If people with HIV and AIDS would stop having sex, sharing needles, donating blood and organs this epidemic would go away.
If people would stop robbing, murdering, etc. crime would go away also. Nearly every problem the human race faces is the result of our behaviors.
In other news, the sun rose today.
This is going to sound heartless, but we have something even better than a cure for AIDS - the fact that it is entirely preventable in the first place. HIV does not just happen to people, like breast cancer, ALS, or a host of other terrible diseases. Nearly without exception, this disease is contracted because of reckless or careless behaviors. a $1.00 condom is quite effective against this disease. Combined with practicing monogamy, and getting to know your partner better before becoming intimate, are all things that will not only stop the disease, but are also 100% free and available to the poorest of the poor. Enough money is being funneled into this - we need to fund research to save people from truly tragic diseases, instead of from bad personal decisions.
Many diseases are a result of personal choice in lifestyle behaviors. Cancer? Only 5% is due to genetics, the rest is environment and lifestyle. Diabetes? Lifestyle. If we just let all the people who got sick or hurt due to "bad personal decision" suffer, we'd likely be in a predicament. Besides, not all HIV+ people are such because of "immoral" behavior. There are approximately 2.5 million children infected with HIV. Approximately 16 million children have lost one or both parents to HIV worldwide. When you get down off that high horse, you may see that a lot of people are affected and suffering because of this "non-tragic" disease.
100% preventable disease and we flush millions down the toilet as low IQ humans hump and inject. Let them be and let them die. Lets focus on genetic diseases where illness is not a choice.
Love to know where you get the idea that IQ and sexual behavior are correlated. Lots of people with high IQs aren't monogamous.
Smart people do dumb things all the time. Just look at the news.
MsKat your right
The pope does not help when he is misinforming people, sayn' that wearing condoms GIVES you aids and if you wear a condom you will go to hell. This has to be a global movement with all political and religious leaders on the same page. We know exactly how to prevent this disease through tested methods, lets do THAT and not repeat the failures.
If my dog had rabies, I would be forced to put down the animal whether I wanted to or not. This disease is not going to be eliminated in any other way. Spending $1800/pill/day/person. Absolutely idiotic!!!
Glad to know you favor treating people like dogs. Guess when our health fails as we age it's the needle for us.
Nobody is spending $1,800 per pill. The sentence in the article was just poorly worded. More likely $1,800 per month per drug prescribed, though of course some are more expensive than others.
Oh no, you didn't just say that, did you? You're seriously advocating killing anyone infected with AIDS? Who are you? Do you live in the United States of America, where our constitution guarantees that we will not be denied life, liberty or the pursuit of happiness without due process? Whoever you are, you are seriously sociopathic. And, that too is a condition for which there is no successful treatment. However, I would not for the life of me advocate your extermination, until you actually commit a capital crime and are properly convicted of it in a court of law. Of course, given your mental disorder, it isn't so much if you do as when you do, now is it? You probably have already "disposed" of someone or other for some selfish reason only you understand, and you just haven't gotten caught yet. But you will, you are too stupid not to. You'll crow about it to some equally sleazy bar companion and get turned in for the reward.
$1800 per month??? These anti-retroviral meds have been around for decades! Why hasn't there been a generic version yet?
30 years of educating people of what causes HIV/AIDS have accomplished nothing and people are still demanding their right to have sex with multitudes of others with no repercussions. I have totally sympathy for children or adults who get this through no fault of their own, but I won't be compassionate for those that sleep with anybody and everybody and then expect their government to foot the bill for their communicable diseases. I lost my oldest brother to this horrible disease, so I'm not totally uneducated on the subject. Time for everybody to zip up their pants and quit doing what they are doing. One generation could wipe this out if everybody would just return to righteousness.
"Repercussions" for sex, a Christian obsession and a scourge of the planet.
"One generation could wipe this out if everybody would just return to righteousness."
sorry M, but the situation is not that black and white. it would be like me saying "abolishing the church would put an end to pedophilia."
There is no money in finding a cure. If there was, cancer, AIDS and a laundry list of diseases would have been cured or been curable by now.
When a researcher says "I have found a cure for (insert name of disease here)," the company's board fears losing millions, even billions, of dollars when no one needs the "maintenance" medications they sell to people anymore.
On the other hand, we have too many living people right now, which means larger labor pools that drive down and keep wages down.
And people no longer die of "old age." Now, an 80 year old dies from some sort of disease.