CNN| Last month marked the 15th anniversary of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, or PEPFAR. The celebrations included an important announcement that didn’t receive enough attention: Today, 14 million people who otherwise wouldn’t have access to care are receiving lifesaving HIV treatment.
When we worked alongside President George W. Bush in 2003 to usher PEPFAR into law, that kind of outcome was almost unimaginable. AIDS was threatening to wipe out an entire generation on the continent of Africa, where only 50,000 people had access to anti-retroviral drugs.
But today, thanks to the generosity of the American people, there are millions of men, women and children for whom an HIV diagnosis is no longer a death sentence. There are 2.2 million babies born to HIV-infected mothers who are HIV-free. There are health systems in place across Africa that are equipped to manage this epidemic. There is hope.
Read more of my oped with Joe Biden at CNN.