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White House unveils 5-year action plan on AIDS

Xinhua, December 2, 2015 Adjust font size:

In support of the World AIDS Day, the White House on Tuesday released an action plan for combating AIDS in the United States over the next five years.

As part of the Federal Action Plan for 2016-2020, 170 action items will be assigned to federal agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to address the AIDS epidemic, the White House said in a statement.

These action items aimed to improve widespread HIV testing and linkage to care, improve broad support and attain universal viral suppression for people living with HIV as well as reduce discrimination against people living with HIV, the statement said.

In addition, the action plan will help improve full access to comprehensive pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) services, an HIV prevention method in which people who do not have HIV take a daily antiretroviral pill to reduce their risk of becoming infected.

According to a new report released last week by the CDC, more than one million U.S. adults who are at substantial risk for HIV could potentially benefit from PrEP, but nationwide, only one in three primary care doctors and nurses is aware of this preventive measure.

The White House statement said the U.S. has made "significant progress" over the last five years in the fight against the illness, through the country's first comprehensive National HIV/AIDS Strategy, which was released in 2010 and updated in July this year by the Obama administration.

Some of the achievements include increasing the percentage of people living with HIV who are diagnosed from 81 percent to 87 percent, eliminating the AIDS Drug Assistance Program waiting lists and modernizing HIV testing and treatment guidelines.

Currently, over 1.2 million Americans are living with HIV and about 50,000 people are newly infected each year.

"Despite our scientific advances in HIV treatment for individual and public health benefits, and prevention options like pre-exposure prophylaxis, too many lack access to life-saving and life-enhancing services," the statement wrote.

"Moving forward, President (Barack) Obama and the Administration will continue to build on scientific and technological advances to expand access to prevention options and care." Enditem