More than 3,000 HIV/AIDS activists met in Orlando Sept. 12-15 for the United States Conference on AIDS.
National Minority AIDS Council Executive Director Paul Kawata said a poor economy has placed more stress on groups that provide support for people living with HIV/AIDS.
“Florida now has the longest AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) waiting list in the country, making it all the more fitting that this year’s USCA is in Orlando,” he said. “With these obstacles in front of us, it’s more important than ever that those on the front lines of the struggle have a place to come together to address the most pressing issues facing our community.”
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius addressed the conference on Sept. 13. She discussed how in the past few decades, new HIV infections dropped 80% and total annual infections went from more than 130,000 a year in the mid-1980s to around 56,000 a year in the 1990s. However, Sebelius said progress is slowing down.
“While infection rates are still going down, new infections have stalled at around 50,000 a year for the last decade,” she said. “Among gay men, HIV incidence is actually rising.”
Sebelius said the department requested an extra $30 million for ADAP in the President’s 2011 budget, and she urged conference attendees to contact their representatives to encourage them to approve the funding.
