The fight against HIV/AIDS has been one of the most significant global health challenges in recent history. But thanks to the United States and a dedicated network of activists, healthcare providers, and researchers around the world, we are now witnessing historic progress in bringing lifesaving treatments to millions of people worldwide. In this blog post, we’ll take a closer look at how the US played a pivotal role in helping over 20 million people access critical HIV medications – and why their efforts continue to be essential for saving lives on a global scale.
The United States and HIV/AIDS
The United States has been a global leader in the fight against HIV/AIDS. Through the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), the U.S. government has provided life-saving antiretroviral treatment (ART) to more than 11 million people around the world.
In 2003, PEPFAR was created in response to the devastating HIV/AIDS pandemic. At the time, HIV/AIDS was a death sentence for millions of people worldwide. There was no effective treatment and no way to prevent Transmission. In just over a decade, PEPFAR has helped change that.
PEPFAR has supported prevention, care, and treatment services for millions of people living with HIV/AIDS. The program has also trained more than 140,000 health workers and supports nearly 9,000 sites where people can access HIV testing and counseling services.
PEPFAR is one of the largest contributors to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. The Global Fund provides critical funding for HIV/AIDS programs in low- and middle-income countries. To date, PEPFAR has contributed more than $4 billion to the Global Fund.
The U.S. government’s investments in global health are saving lives and making a difference in the fight against HIV/AIDS. Thanks to PEPFAR, millions of people around the world now have access to life-saving
The President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief
The President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) was launched in 2003 with the goal of providing life-saving antiretroviral treatment (ART) to millions of people living with HIV/AIDS around the world. To date, PEPFAR has supported the scale-up of ART in over 60 countries and provided treatment to more than 11 million people.
PEPFAR has also played a critical role in supporting HIV prevention, care, and support services. In 2014, PEPFAR launched its “Treatment 2.0” initiative which aims to increase the number of people on ART and achieve viral suppression among those on treatment. Treatment 2.0 also prioritizes efforts to address structural barriers to care and scale up innovative models of delivery.
In addition to its lifesaving work on treatment and prevention, PEPFAR is also working to build strong health systems that are essential for an effective response to HIV/AIDS. Through its Health Systems Strengthening programs, PEPFAR is supporting country partners as they work to improve the quality, availability, and use of health services.
How the US Brought HIV Treatment to 20 Million People
In the early 2000s, only about 700,000 people globally were receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART) for HIV. By 2013, that number had grown to 8 million. The majority of this increase was due to ART scale-up in low- and middle-income countries, made possible by significant financial investments from the United States government.
The President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), launched in 2003, was a major force behind this scale-up. PEPFAR provided funding for HIV prevention, care, and treatment programs in over 150 countries. It also supported the establishment of new global health initiatives like the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
To date, PEPFAR has provided ART to over 11 million people globally. In 2014 alone, the program supported 4 million people on treatment. The US government has also contributed $5 billion to the Global Fund since its inception in 2002. These investments have helped expand access to ART and other life-saving services for millions of people around the world.
The Future of HIV/AIDS Treatment
The United States has been a leader in the effort to bring HIV treatment to millions of people around the globe. In fact, over the past decade, the number of people receiving HIV treatment in low- and middle-income countries has increased more than sixteen-fold—from 400,000 in 2003 to 6.6 million in 2016.
This dramatic increase is due in large part to the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), which was launched by President George W. Bush in 2003. PEPFAR is the largest commitment by any nation to combat a single disease internationally, and it has had a profound impact on the lives of those affected by HIV/AIDS.
PEPFAR has supported life-saving antiretroviral therapy (ART) for more than 11 million people, prevented millions of new infections, and provided care and support for millions more. It has also helped build strong health systems in partner countries so that they can sustain these gains over time.
The U.S. government’s commitment to global HIV/AIDS continues under President Obama’s leadership. In 2013, he announced an ambitious goal to help end the epidemic as we know it: getting to zero new infections, zero discrimination, and zero AIDS-related deaths—what we call “Getting to Zero” by 2030.
To achieve this goal, PEPFAR is working with partners across sectors
Conclusion
The United States’ commitment to providing global access to HIV treatment has been nothing short of remarkable. From its investment in the Global Fund and PEPFAR, to its support for innovative approaches such as DREAMS, we have seen how US leadership can bring about incredible change on a global scale. We applaud their efforts in providing life-saving treatment to over 20 million people and stand in awe of the immense progress made so far towards finding an end to this pandemic.
