NYC’s Frieden Brings ‘Real World Experience Fighting AIDS’ to CDC

US’ Largest AIDS Group Hopes White House Appointment Indicates Obama Will End Silence on AIDS

Washington, D.C. - May 15, 2009

AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the largest non-profit HIV/AIDS organization in the US which currently provides medical care and services to more than 100,000 individuals in 21 countries worldwide in the US, Africa, Latin America/Caribbean and Asia, and which has been critical of President Obama’s silence on AIDS throughout his first hundred days, today lauded the President’s appointment of New York City Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Frieden as head of the Centers for Disease Control.

“Dr, Frieden brings real world experience from the fight against AIDS in New York City to the CDC, skills we sorely need if we are ever going to effectively address the growing epidemic here at home,” said Michael Weinstein, President of AIDS Healthcare Foundation. “In New York, Frieden has been a strong advocate of routine testing for HIV and a supporter of the CDC’s 2006 guidelines to test all people ages 13-64 in routine health care settings; unfortunately, these testing guidelines have not been widely implemented at the same time when our rate of new HIV infections has increased from 40,000 new infections annually to 56,000. Demanding nationwide compliance with the CDC’s own prudent HIV testing guidelines is a great place for Dr. Frieden and the Administration to start.”

Over the past several weeks, many AIDS groups, including AHF, have been speaking out publicly about the fact that the Obama Administration had said virtually nothing of substance on AIDS, while in a multitasking masterpiece, his Administration somehow managed to launch dozens of other new initiatives—stem cell research, lifting an abortion gag rule, carbon emissions, Cuba, etc.—while remaining largely mute on AIDS.

“A recent study revealed that the HIV prevalence rate in Washington, DC has climbed to 3%—a higher rate of infection than found in many West African nations. One would think this news presented a natural moment for the President to speak out in his new adopted hometown about AIDS; yet the President remained silent, and a golden opportunity to highlight the huge AIDS problem facing our own country was lost,” added Weinstein. “AHF has previously expressed our disappointment with President Obama’s silence on AIDS during his first hundred days; we hope that Dr. Frieden’s appointment as head of the CDC indicates that the President is ending his silence on AIDS and will engage and address the HIV/AIDS epidemic domestically and globally.”

There are approximately 1.2 million people in the US living with HIV/AIDS today. More than 300,000 of these individuals have never had an HIV test and therefore do not know their HIV status. In August, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) released stark new data showing an alarming 40% increase in HIV infections in the US annually (56,000 new cases each year up from a previous estimate of 40,000 cases annually). These numbers are a scathing indictment of how profoundly U.S. and CDC HIV prevention efforts have failed over the years.