Statement on FY2020 Budget Proposal for Ending The HIV Epidemic In America
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Cross-posted from Press Office, U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services
Today, President Trump proposed $291 million in the FY2020 HHS budget to begin his Administration’s multi-year initiative focused on ending the HIV epidemic in America by 2030. This new initiative aims to reduce new HIV infections by 75 percent in the next 5 years and by 90 percent in the next 10 years, averting more than 250,000 HIV infections in that span.
Recent data show our progress reducing the number of new HIV infections has plateaued, and there are new threats to the progress that has been made, the most significant being the opioid crisis: 1 in 10 new HIV infections occur among people who inject drugs.
Ending the HIV Epidemic: A Plan for America, announced by the President in his State of the Union address on February 5, 2019, is a bold approach that is the result of decades of work, and focuses on four key strategies that, together, can end the HIV epidemic in the U.S. The funding requested, based on careful consideration by our top scientists and public health officials, targets four areas of action:
- Diagnose all individuals with HIV as early as possible after infection.
- Treat the infection rapidly and effectively after diagnosis, achieving sustained viral suppression.
- Protect individuals at risk for HIV using proven prevention approaches.
- Respond rapidly to detect and respond to growing HIV clusters and prevent new HIV infections.
The time to act is now. We have the right data, the right tools, and the right leadership to end the HIV epidemic in America—a goal once thought impossible but now within our reach. The initial investment announced today will undoubtedly help to reverse current, troubling trends and put us on a committed pathway to ending the HIV epidemic for our next generation.