The President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) has
provided unprecedented support for the expansion of programs
addressing HIV and AIDS worldwide, primarily through access to
anti-retroviral therapy. And while progress has been made, the
HIV and AIDS pandemic remains an enormous challenge for global
health and social and economic development - disproportionately
affecting women and youth. This challenge and its consequences
will only grow over time. As PEPFAR continues to grow the number
of people enrolled in treatment, decreasing new infections by
improving and increasing funding and access to prevention
programs must be addressed. The urgency of the prevention
imperative is real given that we know that for every two people
who gain access to treatment, five more are newly infected with
HIV. The impact on women is even more clear with HIV and AIDS
being the leading cause of death and disease among women between
the ages of 15 and 44. Throughout the Bush Administration, the
PEPFAR program came up sho