Eyes on Obama this World AIDS Day

EXCERPT FROM ADVOCATE.COM -- Monday, December 1 marks the 20th anniversary of World AIDS Day, and on the eve of Barack Obama’s inauguration, AIDS educators and health professionals the world over are looking forward to a new direction and renewed dedication to fighting the world epidemic.Though much of the focus on AIDS has shifted to Africa over the past several years, stateside, after years of making great strides toward reducing new infections, in 2006, the Center for Disease Control reported a 40% increase in new infections. Fifty-three percent of cases were among men who have sex with men -- the rate of new infections in the African American community rose by more than 40 percent.AIDS educators -- perhaps predicting a dramatic shift in leadership in this country -- got off to an ambitious start toward turning those numbers back around in June when the second annual “Test 1 Million” event in Los Angeles vowed to test one million black Americans for HIV before World AIDS Day.That number caught on with educators around the globe. Earlier this week, the AIDS Healthcare foundation -- which provides services to nearly 100,000 people in the U.S., Africa, Asia and Latin America -- launched their campaign… one million tests on World AIDS Day alone.Countries worldwide will take place in this year’s World AIDS Day in various ways.South Africans will observe a 15 minute moment of silence to reflect on the estimated 70,000 children who are born in Africa each year with HIV.In San Francisco, General Hospital -- home to the oldest AIDS treatment program in the United States -- will gather speakers and politicians to commemorate the 25 years the hospital has spent fighting the disease, and announce a renewed commitment to finding a cure.Carol Bergman, acting director of the Global AIDS Alliance, said that this year, all eyes are on Obama to see if he can stand behind the $50 million over five years he promised to fight AIDS on a global level.“Obama comes into office having made a number of specific commitments, including on HIV prevention. He, along with Vice President-Elect Joe Biden and Senator Hillary Clinton, the likely next US Secretary of State, signed a pledge on this issue,” Bergman said in a statement. For more on World AIDS Day and events around the world, visit www.WorldAIDSCampaign.org.