Dr. John Nkengasong:
Initially, I at all times prefer to raise the mirror and have a look at the place we’re coming from 20 years in the past, the determined part of HIV/AIDS on this planet.
We noticed in Africa, many international locations in Africa, that the coffin market was thriving. We noticed in — hospitals after hospitals had been full of individuals, human beings that had been skeleton with a skinny pores and skin over their our bodies. Due to america’ ethical management and values, we stepped in, and it turned a defining second.
We modified the narrative. We modified the ugly face of HIV/AIDS. And, as we speak, 25 million lives have been saved; 5.5 million kids have been born freed from HIV/AIDS due to the dedication of the American individuals by way of the PEPFAR program, the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Reduction.
Our aim is to deliver HIV/AIDS to an finish by the 12 months 2030 as a public well being menace. And it is rather possible. This isn’t the time for us to relent on our management that the world has acknowledged, praised, and it displays our values. This isn’t the time for us to step again from these outstanding positive aspects, that are very fragile.
So I stay optimistic that the bipartisanship that characterised PEPFAR and has executed so for 20 years will prevail, and PEPFAR will proceed to be reauthorized for 5 years.
