U.S. Administration Officials Mark AIDS Anniversary

The Obama administration observed Sunday's 30th anniversary of the first reports of AIDS by calling for greater awareness and prevention efforts in the United States and abroad.

"We pause to mark the 30 years we have been fighting HIV/AIDS," President Obama said in a statement issued Friday by the Office of the Press Secretary. "As we remember people in our own lives we have lost and stand by those living with HIV/AIDS, we must also rededicate ourselves to finally ending this pandemic -- in this country and around the world."

"As long as the AIDS virus threatens the health and lives of people here and around the globe, our work will continue to connect people to treatment, educate them about how to protect themselves, battle discrimination, and to keep the country focused on our collective fight against this pandemic," Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius added.

The release noted that the administration has made refocusing attention to domestic HIV/AIDS a priority. Last fall, officials unveiled the comprehensive National HIV/AIDS Strategy, which provides a plan for lowering new infections, improving care and health outcomes for people with the disease, and reducing accompanying health disparities. NHAS is currently being implemented.

Furthermore, US officials continue to support global HIV/AIDS-fighting efforts. The White House statement noted that the Obama administration has built on the success of the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief by implementing the Global Health Initiative, which seeks to improve health care infrastructures.

For more information, including upcoming events, visit http://aids.gov/thirty-years-of-aids/. To view the release, visit www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2011/06/03/30th-year-hivaids-obama-administration-recommits-fighting-pandemic.

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