Fully funding global health initiatives critical in AIDS fight

"With donor support flagging around the world, U.S. leadership is crucial. Congress must fully fund its global health programs, especially the Global Fund" to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, Joyce Kamwana, a Global Fund "HERE I AM" campaign ambassador, writes in The Hill's "Congress Blog." She adds, "Reducing support for global health would put millions of people at risk" and "would deal a devastating blow to the global fight against AIDS, which has reached a critical point."

Kamwana concludes, "The investments we make now will shape our response to the AIDS pandemic for years to come. They will also determine the fate of millions of people -- like me -- and our families and communities. At least 34 million people are living with HIV/AIDS, and over a million of them are co-infected with tuberculosis, as I once was. We have the tools to help these people. We need action now" (12/2).