Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2003. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
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Miami Herald - July 12, 2003
These are excerpts from President Bush's speech in Entebee, Uganda, yesterday.
President Museveni and Uganda have pursued a direct and comprehensive anti-AIDS strategy. They emphasize abstinence and marital fidelity, as well as condoms to prevent HIV transmissions. They're implementing the strategy for the whole world to see, and the results have been magnificent.
Their approach has reduced the HIV infection rate to 5 percent in this country, the most dramatic decline in the world. For many in Uganda, the value of this achievement is beyond measure. Men and women are gaining years of life. More Ugandan children are growing up with mothers and fathers, and this country is reclaiming its future. Life by life, village by village, Uganda is showing that AIDS can be defeated across Africa.
However, the current efforts to oppose the disease are simply not equal to the need. And America understands that. Nearly 30 million people on this continent are living with HIV/AIDS, including three million children under age 15. More than four million people require immediate drug treatment, but just 1 percent of them are receiving the medicine they require.
Africa has the will to fight AIDS, but it needs the resources as well. And this is my country's pledge to the people of Africa and the people of Uganda: You are not alone in this fight. America has decided to act. Over the next five years, my country will spend $15 billion to fight AIDS around the world, with special focus here on the continent of Africa.
We'll work with governments and private groups and faith-based organizations to put in place a comprehensive system to prevent, diagnose and treat AIDS. We will support abstinence-based education for young people in schools and churches and community centers. We will provide comprehensive services to treat millions of new infections.
Throughout all regions of targeted countries, we'll provide HIV testing. We'll purchase anti-retroviral medications and other drugs that are needed to extend lives. We will help establish broad and efficient networks to deliver drugs, including by motorcycle, just as you did here in Uganda. We will help build and renovate and equip clinics and laboratories. We will prepare doctors and nurses and other healthcare professionals to treat AIDS more effectively.
The resources our country provides will help to hire and train child-care workers, to look after orphans and to provide care at home to many AIDS patients. In other words, we want to join you in the war against the pandemic of AIDS. We want to be on your side in a big way. . . .
There's no doubt about it. In order to be effective, there has to be a willingness on the part of the people of the country, and you've got a willingness here in Uganda. You've got good leadership. You've got good leadership in your religious institutions. You've got good leadership throughout your government. You've got fantastic doctors. You've got the people themselves willing to rise up and to confront the disease.
I believe God has called us into action. I believe my country has got a responsibility. We are a great nation; we're a wealthy nation. We have a responsibility to help a neighbor in need, a brother and sister in crisis. And that's what I'm here to talk about. And I want to thank you for giving me the chance.
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