Community Leaders are urging President-Elect Obama to honor his commendable pledge for a national plan within the first 100 days of his presidency.

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Leaders in the HIV/AIDS community commend President-elect Barack Obama’s pledge for a national AIDS strategy, but call on him to honor that commitment during his first 100 days in office. Despite George W. Bush’s lauded President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) to fight HIV abroad, most experts agree that efforts to prevent and treat the virus on U.S. soil have not been nearly as successful during his eight-year administration. With the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announcing in August that the rate of new infections in the United States is 40 percent higher than previously estimated, it is of the utmost importance that President-elect Barack Obama honor his promise to keep domestic HIV/AIDS as one of his top policy priorities. “Obama has pledged that, in the first year of his presidency, he will develop and begin to implement a comprehensive national HIV/AIDS strategy that includes all federal agency,” reads a statement released in October on his official campaign website, BarackObama.com. “The strategy will be designed to reduce HIV infections, increase access to care and reduce HIV-related health disparities. His strategy will include measurable goals, timelines and accountability mechanisms.”

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