Thomas Foley: “since AIDS was first recognized 20 years ago, 58 million people have been affected; and at the current rate of spread…”

“since AIDS was first recognized 20 years ago, 58 million people have been affected; and at the current rate of spread, the total will exceed 100 million by 2001. According to the Centers for Disease Control, there are currently over 900,000 people infected and living with HIV and AIDS in the United States. There are approximately 40,000 Americans infected each year. Worldwide this year there were 5 million new cases, and of that, 800,000 were under the age of 15. Worldwide there are over 40 million people currently living with HIV and AIDS; 18 million are women and 3 million are children. AIDS kills more than 7,000 people in sub-Saharan Africa each day. President Bush this year has committed over $200 million to a global fund to fight HIV and AIDS. I have requested additional money along with other Members of Congress to pursue this very worthy goal. Today we should reflect on those lost and use their memories to fuel our efforts to eradicate this pandemic.”