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Last month, I learned of the death of Robert
Schmidt, an American citizen who lost his long struggle with
AIDS here in Mexico. Among his effects was a large suitcase
of the latest anti-retroviral medication, which his family
asked the Embassy to donate to an NGO in Mexico so others
could be helped. We honored their request, and we were reminded,
all too poignantly, of the human cost that the world is paying
as we lose so many lives to AIDS. We were also reminded that
all of us can – and must – work in ways large and small to
end this disease.
The human toll from AIDS is staggering. According to the
2007 UNAIDS report each day more than 6800 people become infected
with HIV and more than 5700 people die from AIDS. There are
about 33 million people living with HIV worldwide, and 25
million have already died from AIDS. In the face of this devastation,
the people of the world have come together to find solutions
to the AIDS pandemic.
Here in Mexico City from August 3-8, over 25,000 activists,
medical specialists, scientists, researchers, politicians
and others leading the charge to defeat AIDS will assemble
for the 17th International AIDS Conference. This will be the
first time the International AIDS Conference has been held
in Latin America. While HIV prevalence rates in Latin America
are comparatively low, that does not mean that the region
is unaffected. In the Americas, 3.1 million are living with
HIV, and the Mexican Secretary of Health estimates that 180,000
people in Mexico are living with this disease.
According to UNAIDS, in Latin America widespread stigma and
discrimination are barriers to achieving universal access
to HIV prevention, treatment, care and support. I hope that
this conference will help change that. To beat any disease,
you have to do more than just treat its symptoms. You have
to work to stop its transmission, and to do that you have
to talk about it.
Earlier this year, I helped launch a partnership on breast
cancer research and education. I spoke of how cancer has touched
my life, and how it touches the lives of so many in Mexico.
First Lady Laura Bush spoke of how breaking the taboo of talking
about breast cancer was essential to saving lives. It’s the
same with AIDS. We have to break the taboo and talk about
it. While the rate of prevalence of AIDS in Mexico remains
low, the rate among vulnerable populations continues to grow,
and AIDS especially affects the young. Without our dedicated
efforts, AIDS will touch the lives of many more in Mexico.
That is why, here in Mexico, the Embassy has been partnering
with the Government of Mexico and private enterprise to reduce
stigma and increase awareness of how to prevent transmission
of the disease and where to seek treatment.
Fighting AIDS has been a priority for the United States throughout
the Bush administration. In 2003, President Bush launched
the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) to
combat global HIV/AIDS – the largest commitment by any nation
to combat a single disease in human history. Last week, President
Bush signed legislation that will dramatically increase the
financial commitment to this fight – authorizing up to $48
billion to combat global HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria.
Here in Mexico, the United States’ commitment to the fight
against HIV/AIDS has been about $2 million per year every
year since 2003. The Emergency Plan is working in support
of Mexico’s national HIV/AIDS strategy, helping to assist
a comprehensive and effective national response that can be
sustained for the long term.
In December 2004, the U.S.-Mexico partnership supported the
establishment of a National Business Council on HIV/AIDS,
known as CONAES (Consejo Nacional Empresarial sobre SIDA)
to reduce stigma and discrimination in the workplace. CONAES,
with 31 participating companies from a range of private sector
Mexican and multinational businesses, has directly impacted
150,000 Mexican workers, with indirect impact on an estimated
560,000 family members. It is a model for public-private partnerships,
with more than $400,000 in contributions from the private
sector.
Working with Mexican institutions, the Embassy has identified
outlets and distributors to increase the availability of condoms
among high-risk groups. We have supported a behavioral study
of vulnerable populations in Tampico, Monterrey, Acapulco,
and Mexico City. And USAID’s TIES Program has set up a partnership
between the Mexican National Institute of Public Health and
the University of California-Berkeley to provide training
to address HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis prevention and care.
The theme of the 17th International AIDS Conference is “Universal
Action Now.” The Governments of Mexico and the United
States are taking action to stop the AIDS pandemic. But it
is not the work of governments alone. Parents should talk
with their children about this epidemic; companies should
not penalize workers for seeking treatment; and people should
get tested without fear of retribution or rejection. HIV treatment
has made a great deal of progress in the last decades, and
millions of people are living with HIV due to anti-retroviral
therapy and other sophisticated treatment. Scientific advances
are continuing to be made. If we all work together, we can
ensure the human cost of this disease does not continue to
grow unchecked. |
