Letter to the editor: Reauthorizing PEPFAR to fight HIV/AIDS will save lives

Our fight to end HIV/AIDS is one of the greatest success stories, and that’s in large part due to an American program you might have never heard of before. The U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) was established by President George Bush in 2003 to stem the scourge of HIV/AIDS, especially in places where an HIV diagnosis has a low survival rate. Twenty years later, PEPFAR has saved 25 million lives, including 5.5 million children who were born HIV-free. More than half of all the people living with HIV receive lifesaving treatment through PEPFAR programs.

The numbers that cement PEPFAR’s legacy as one of the most successful government programs in history are a powerful justification for its continued existence. Perhaps more powerful is the threat to progress — to human life — that would be created by PEPFAR’s absence. According to one study, AIDS-related deaths could multiply by more than 400% by 2030 without PEPFAR. The number of children orphaned by AIDS could double.

This is not the future I want, so I’m asking my member of Congress, Rep. Chris Deluzio, to support a clean, five-year reauthorization of PEPFAR so this critically important program can continue to save lives and move us closer to a day where everyone, everywhere is safe from the threat of HIV/AIDS.

Jordan Hinds

McKees Rocks

The writer is a PA District 17 ONE Campaign volunteer.