When President Obama took office in 2009, America had been neglecting its domestic HIV/AIDS epidemic for many years. The media and many policy makers’ attention had largely shifted to global AIDS and away from an epidemic at home characterized by chronic, high rates of HIV infection, disturbing racial disparities, and an uncoordinated response.
Three years after the President released his National HIV/AIDS Strategy, the prospects for tackling AIDS in America have improved dramatically. The Strategy has brought needed focus on evidence based policy, targeting funding where it will have most impact and making progress on specific public health goals. The Affordable Care Act (ACA) will extend health coverage to tens of thousands of people living with HIV. And the scientific discoveries during this time have been startling, including the realization that HIV treatment truly is also HIV prevention because treating people for HIV makes it 96 percent less likely the virus will be passed on.
Rep. Barbara Lee and Kenneth Cole
Huffingtonpost
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