PRINTER'S NO. 1430
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
SENATE RESOLUTION
No.
246
Session of
2015
INTRODUCED BY TEPLITZ, COSTA, SABATINA, DINNIMAN, FONTANA,
BREWSTER, FARNESE, GREENLEAF, RAFFERTY, PILEGGI AND KITCHEN,
NOVEMBER 18, 2015
INTRODUCED AND ADOPTED, NOVEMBER 18, 2015
A RESOLUTION
Recognizing December 1, 2015, as "World AIDS Day," fostering
public awareness of the HIV/AIDS pandemic and remembering the
millions of individuals diagnosed with HIV/AIDS and the
global challenges associated with eradicating this deadly
disease.
WHEREAS, "World AIDS Day" has been commemorated annually
since 1988, and June 5th of this year marked the 34th
anniversary of the first reported AIDS case; and
WHEREAS, The World AIDS Campaign was launched in 1997 by
UNAIDS, the joint United Nations program on HIV/AIDS, and the
mission of UNAIDS is to raise public awareness of HIV/AIDS and
to promote nonjudgmental and nondiscriminatory access to HIV
prevention, treatment and care for all human beings; and
WHEREAS, UNAIDS reports that there were 36.9 million people
worldwide living with HIV at the end of 2014; and
WHEREAS, In 2014, UNAIDS reported 1.2 million AIDS-related
deaths, a decrease compared to the 1.8 million AIDS-related
deaths reported in 2009; and
WHEREAS, The 2015 "World AIDS Day" theme is "The Time to Act
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is Now," which signifies that there is no better time than
"World AIDS Day" to recommit to the goal of achieving an AIDS-
free generation, to celebrate the tremendous progress that has
been made in expanding access to HIV prevention, treatment and
care services and to focus on the potential to achieve
sustainable epidemic control and end AIDS as a public health
threat; and
WHEREAS, According to the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC), nearly 1.2 million people in the United States
are living with HIV and 12.8% of those people are unaware of
their infection; and
WHEREAS, Although African Americans represent approximately
12% of the United States population, they represented nearly 44%
of new HIV infections in 2010, while Latinos make up only 16% of
the United States population but represented 21% of new HIV
infections in 2010, and men who have sex with men accounted for
63% of all new HIV infections in 2010 although this group makes
up only 4% of the United States population; and
WHEREAS, Pennsylvania is ranked 10th highest in the United
States in cumulative reported AIDS cases, with the percentage of
new HIV cases being highest among those 20 to 29 years of age;
and
WHEREAS, The Pennsylvania Department of Health estimated that
28% of the 35,219 HIV/AIDS patients in this Commonwealth had
unmet needs for HIV primary medical care in 2009; and
WHEREAS, The overall number of persons in Pennsylvania living
with AIDS has been consistently rising, but the overall number
of AIDS-related deaths in Pennsylvania has been declining
through 2007, a trend thought to be largely a result of the
administration of highly active antiretroviral therapy as well
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as other improvements in AIDS survival; therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the Senate recognize December 1, 2015, as
"World AIDS Day" to foster public awareness of the HIV/AIDS
pandemic and to remember the millions of individuals diagnosed
with HIV/AIDS and the global challenges associated with
eradicating this deadly disease.
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