So, I was perusing the local news, and ran across a story about some new math coming out of the International AIDS Conference, currently being held in Mexico City.
CBS13 is reporting:
The country had roughly 56,300 new HIV infections in 2006 -- a dramatic increase from the 40,000 annual estimate used for the last dozen years.
While the CDC doesn't think that their "New Math" will dramatically increase the total projected number of infections in the US, they do feel it a failure in prevention efforts.
But some advocates complain that CDC's annual spending on HIV prevention in the United States has been held to roughly $700 million since 2001, while costs have risen. (That's about 3 percent of what the federal government spends on AIDS; much of the rest is on medicines, health care and research.)
This figure is VERY small, considering the total number of ASO's out there that are doing harm reduction programs. We, as a society, need to drastically increase our investment in protecting our future generations from this epidemic.
While both Sen. Clinton and Sen. Obama have signed onto the National AIDS Strategy, we need to hold their feet to the fire to ensure they keep their committment past this election cycle.
That's why I'm proud to be working with the Campaign to End AIDS on their Stand Against AIDS action in Oxford, MS the 3 days leading up to the first Presidential Debate. Sen. Obama's people will be attending a Town Hall meeting the day before the Debate with our participants, and the C2EA is working to get McSame's people there too. We're pretty sure, however, that McSame doesn't really care about AIDS in America .... just like the Bush Administration's current stance.
As y'all can see, this is a pet issue for me, as I am living with HIV. Hopefully, the next administration will do more to help prevent the virus from spreading, and will work to shore up both continuing care for those of us with HIV/AIDS, and working even more agressively towards both a Therapeutic and Preventive Vaccine.
Just my 2 Cents - comments welcome
Dizzy
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6 comments:
great diary dizzy!
Wow! Fantastic diary.
We need to keep up the pressure. I think the effectiveness of anti-retrovirals has given some of us a false sense of security. Combine that with the RW theocrats who've been running our national health care policy for the last seven+ years and you get our current state of affairs.
Keep up the good work and keep us up to date on your efforts--and the performance of our public officials!
Thanks, Guys ... I most certainly will ...
One of my new local, IRL friends is an exclusive blogger for The Body, and as such I'm being REALLY kept in the loop on policy things. Plus, I'm working with her on the C2EA Stand Against AIDS action.
More will come.
Dizzy
Great job, Dizzy. Thanks for the update. It's important for us all to remember that HIV-AIDS isn't a "problem solved", not even here in the US. There's still so much we need to do.
Thanks, Dizzy, for connecting the CDC's 'revised incidence' reports for the U.S. HIV infection rates to the need for a National AIDS Strategy. I believe today's news is a true 'wake-up' call to all Americans that HIV continues its rampage through our population.
And, I sincerely hope your blog can help inspire more local people (Sacramento, Placer, El Dorado) folks to join our Bay Cities Caravan to Oxford, Mississippi for the 'Stand Against AIDS' - the 'action' event to galvanize all voices, HIV+ or HIV-, toward the adoption & implementation of a National AIDS Strategy! You know who to connect them to, if they want more information!
Thanks so much -- Zephyr
FYI, y'all ... Loreen (Zephyr) is the person I referred to in my previous comment ... I am assisting her in organizing the Bay Cities Caravan to the "Stand Against AIDS" action event ... I'm hoping I get to go too, but if not, I'll still be honored to assist such a wonderful person organize participation in this event.
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