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President Bush Discusses World AIDS Day
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For Immediate Release Office of the Press Secretary December 1, 2008

President Bush Discusses World AIDS Day North Lawn

˙ /news/releases/2008/12/20081201.wm.v.html ˙˙Presidential Remarks
˙˙Audio ˙˙En Espa¤ol

˙˙˙˙˙ In Focus: HIV/AIDS

10:07 A.M. EST

THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. Today is World AIDS Day, a day we reaffirm our
commitment to fight HIV/AIDS at home and abroad. Thirty-three million
people around the world are living with HIV, including more than one
million Americans. Once again this year, to observe World AIDS Day, there
is a red ribbon on the North Portico of the White House. The ribbon is a
symbol of our resolve to confront HIV/AIDS and to affirm the matchless
value of every life.

One of the most important initiatives of my administration has been the
Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, known as PEPFAR. It's the largest
international health initiative dedicated to a single disease. When we
launched PEPFAR, our goal was to support treatment for two million people
in five years. Today, I'm pleased to announce that we have exceeded that
goal -- early.

The American people, through PEPFAR, are supporting lifesaving treatment
for more than two million people around the world. And when PEPFAR began,
only 50,000 people living with HIV in all of sub-Sahara Africa were
receiving antiretroviral treatment.

Around the world, we've also supported care for more than 10 million people
affected by HIV, including more than four million orphans and vulnerable
children. More than 237,000 babies have been born HIV-free, thanks to the
support of the American people for programs to prevent mothers from passing
the virus on to their children.

PEPFAR is bringing hope and healing to people around the world. On our
trips to Africa, Laura and I have witnessed firsthand the gratitude of the
African people.

We look forward to discussing our efforts to combat global HIV/AIDS with
Rick Warren at the Saddleback Civil Forum on Global Health this morning. In
the meantime, we thank our fellow citizens for being so compassionate and
so caring and so decent. God bless.

END 10:10 A.M. EST

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