On Saturday, The United States Department of State stated that AIDS has killed over 32m people across the World.
In a statement issued on the 40th Anniversary of the First Reported Cases of AIDS, U.S. Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken, said;
“Forty years ago, on June 5th, the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention reported on the first five cases of what later became known as AIDS.
“At that time, none of us could have imagined that AIDS would still be with us today or that it would have taken more than 32 million lives globally, including 700,000 in the United States.
“Today, we honour the memory of these men, women, and children, many of whom we lost in the prime of their lives to this devastating disease.
“We also celebrate the more than 38 million people worldwide, including 1.2 million in the United States, who are bravely living with HIV.”
He added;
“We continue to bring the very best of America to this effort – from ground-breaking scientific discovery and inspired activism to steadfast political leadership and deep diplomatic engagement,”
“Working with our many partners, we have saved more than 20 million lives, prevented millions of HIV infections, and significantly accelerated progress toward achieving HIV epidemic control in more than 50 countries.”
“PEPFAR investments also assist nearly 300,000 health care workers, 3,000 laboratories, 70,000 health care sites, and disease surveillance – strengthening country capacity and resilience to prevent, detect, and respond to other infectious disease threats, including COVID-19.
“Forty years on, we must take this important moment to reflect, recommit, reenergise, and re engage. After decades of progress, our work is not yet finished. To complete this journey – one started by the courageous advocates who marched in the streets of New York City, San Francisco, and across America – we must come together as a nation and as a global community. It is time to end the HIV epidemic everywhere.”
