The Obama administration will unveil
the nation's first-ever comprehensive AIDS strategy on Tuesday, the
New York Times reported.
The report will outline a strategy for
combating the AIDS epidemic domestically that includes reducing the
number of new infections and boosting the number of people who
receive treatment.
Within the next five years, the
administration aims to slash the number of new HIV infections by 25
percent and increase by 20 percent the number of HIV-positive people
receiving treatment within 3 months of their diagnosis, up from the
current 65 percent.
Not included in the plan is additional
federal spending. Administration officials, instead, will reshuffle
its $19 billion AIDS budget and funnel money to the disease's highest
at-risk groups, which include gay and bisexual men and
African-Americans.
The strategy will focus on doing a
better job at matching resources with needs. For example, the report
suggests allocating more money to states with the highest “burden
of disease” and placing a greater emphasis on groups with the
highest risk of contracting the disease – men who have sex with men
and African-Americans.
Calling the stigma associated with the
disease “extremely high,” the government also promised to
strengthen protections for HIV-positive people.
AIDS activists have criticized previous
administrations for not outlining a comprehensive strategy for
combating the epidemic domestically. Work on the national AIDS
strategy began at the start of the administration.