Contact: Laurel Lundstrom, llundstrom@pathfinder.org
Washington, DC, June 8, 2023—The spread of HIV has slowed globally over the past two decades, but we are still far from ending the HIV pandemic. According to UNAIDS, an adolescent girl or young woman acquires HIV every two minutes. Women and girls in sub-Saharan Africa account for more than 60 percent of all new HIV infections, and over the last decade, HIV infections in Eastern Europe, Central Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, and North Africa have been on the rise.
Yet HIV is completely treatable and preventable, and people living with HIV can live fulfilling lives. The US Government-funded President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) has been critical in responding to the HIV pandemic, preventing the rise of new infections, and saving approximately 25 million lives. This year, US Congress will consider reauthorization of PEPFAR.
Pathfinder Statement on PEPFAR Reauthorization
Over the past 20 years, PEPFAR has saved millions of lives, delivering HIV prevention, care, and treatment services to the most marginalized and underserved communities. Pathfinder currently uses PEPFAR funds in Mozambique to ensure availability of antiretroviral therapy for those who test positive, and strengthen services for HIV testing, the prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV, and tuberculosis. If PEPFAR is not reauthorized, millions of people will suffer, and the HIV pandemic will surge in multiple countries. Pathfinder calls for the reauthorization of PEPFAR to continue fighting the HIV pandemic and save lives.
