Two decades ago, the U.S. government created what's described as the largest commitment by any nation in history to combat a single disease, AIDS.

The AIDS epidemic has killed more than 40 million people since the first recorded cases in 1981, tripling child mortality and carving decades off life expectancy in the hardest-hit areas of Africa, where the cost of treatment put it out of reach. Horrified, then-President George W. Bush and the U.S. Congress two decades ago created what is described as the largest commitment by any nation to combat a single disease.

The program, known as the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, or PEPFAR, partners with nonprofit groups to provide HIV/AIDS medication to millions around the world. It strengthens local and national health care systems, cares for children orphaned by AIDS and provides job training for people at risk.

Now, a few Republican lawmakers are endangering the stability of the program, which officials say has saved 25 million lives in 55 countries from Ukraine to Brazil to Indonesia. That includes the lives of 5.5 million infants born HIV-free.

      • avonarret1@programming.dev
        13·
        1 year ago

        It’s funny to me that it’s socialist oriented spending, which in relation is a drop in a bucket, is so controversial but everything else is okay. It is not even funny how huge the disparity is. But yeah, it is such a no-go to do good things… man, the gymnastics involved to reach that level of thinking are so stupid, it should be comical

    • Rooty@lemmy.world
      151·
      1 year ago

      “Why should I be concerned with my neighbour’s house being on fire?”

    • anthoniix@lemmy.world
      121·
      1 year ago

      HIV originally came here from another country. If we weren’t doing this it would just continue to spread.

    • pimento64@sopuli.xyz
      112·
      1 year ago

      why is the American taxpayer still on the hook for fixing potholes on other streets?

      Fucking idiot

            • RedAggroBest@lemmy.world
              21·
              1 year ago

              Calling HIV an STD like it doesn’t have a hundred other ways to be transmitted really downplays the seriousness, which seems intentional to me.

              Don’t be a douche. We help others because we can and because disease is a global threat.