Tommy G. Thompson World AIDS Day

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Tuesday, Nov. 30, 2004 HHS Press Office (202) 690-6343

Statement by Tommy G. Thompson Secretary of Health and Human Services Regarding World AIDS Day, December 1, 2004

World AIDS Day is an important opportunity to remember those lost to AIDS. Just as importantly, it is an opportunity to raise awareness of the global epidemic and efforts to halt the spread of this terrible disease.

HIV/AIDS continues to be a growing threat to world health. An estimated 39 million people are infected with HIV. About 3 million men and women died of AIDS in 2003 and there were close to 5 million new infections worldwide. In the United States, it is estimated that up to 950,000 Americans are living with HIV, with 40,000 new infections every year.

This Administration has made unprecedented commitments to the fight and we remain unwavering in our efforts to stop this epidemic here and across the globe. This year, President Bush has committed $2.4 billion to his Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, which expects to support treatment for 2 million HIV-infected people and prevent 7 million new infections. The Emergency Plan provides services to over 100 countries around the world, including 15 focus nations in Africa, the Caribbean and Southeast Asia. In addition, the President has supported reauthorization of the Ryan White CARE Act, which provides support to those most in need, and made another $20 million available to deliver much-needed medication to HIV-positive persons. Finally, the President has requested $17.1 billion to help fight the epidemic in the United States for FY 2005 -- a 27 percent increase since 2001 -- and another $2.8 billion for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria.

This year's commemoration has a special focus on the increasingly alarming impact of HIV/AIDS on women and girls. For the first time, women and girls compose almost half of the people with HIV. In sub-Saharan Africa, 57 percent of people living with AIDS are female. In the United States, women accounted for 26 percent of all AIDS cases in 2002, up from 6 percent in 1985. Minority women are disproportionately impacted, comprising 80 percent of American women living with AIDS.

In communities across this country, there are vibrant examples of HHS-supported programs targeted at women that are making a difference. The Children's Hospital in New Orleans, with support from HHS, provides confidential, culturally competent, family-centered care -- including transportation and child care -- for more than a thousand women living with HIV. The Well Being Institute in Detroit serves HIV-infected women, mostly African American, who have sought care for this disease but have been unable to consistently follow through with their own care. In addition, the University of Miami School of Medicine is implementing the Caring Connections Intervention targeted to sero-positive women and children, helping them take their medicines and get to their doctors' appointments.

Over the past year, we have taken important steps to encourage HIV testing. Getting tested for HIV shows your loved ones you care about them and it's an important personal contribution to the fight against this devastating disease. That is a theme we are aggressively promoting through new public service advertisements developed in partnership with the Ad Council. The two new television target African American men between the ages of 13 and 28 and communicates that knowing their HIV status is the first step in fighting the spread of HIV/AIDS. I call on local television stations to help us combat the scourge of HIV by airing these advertisements and educating their communities.

These efforts and others are reaching across the globe to prevent the spread of HIV, find a vaccine, provide treatment to those affected, encourage HIV testing among at-risk individuals so they can know their status and seek assistance if necessary, and care for orphans and other left behind after AIDS has struck.

For more information, contact the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National AIDS Hotline at 1-800-342-AIDS or visit the Federal National HIV/AIDS Observance Days Web site at www.omhrc.gov/hivaidsobservances.

###

International Space Station Status Report

International Space Station Status Report #04-64 4:30 a.m. CST, Monday, Nov. 29, 2004 Expedition 10 Crew

The International Space Station crewmembers took a short ride this morning as they flew their Soyuz TMA-5 spacecraft from one docking port to another to pave the way for two spacewalks next year.

Having configured Station systems for autonomous operation, Expedition 10 Flight Engineer and Soyuz Commander Salizhan Sharipov and Expedition Commander Leroy Chiao sent the command to undock the craft from the Station's Pirs Docking Compartment at 3:29 a.m. Central time (929 GMT) as they flew 225 miles over the southern Atlantic Ocean. Physical separation of the two craft occurred three minutes later.

Sharipov, seated in the center seat of the Soyuz’ descent module compartment, and Chiao seated to his left, backed the capsule away from the Station to a distance of about 30 meters (98 feet). They then commanded the Soyuz to fly laterally along the Station about 14 meters (45 feet) before rotating the Soyuz 135 degrees to align it with the earthward-facing docking port on the adjacent Zarya module. The vehicle was held in position for eight minutes of stationkeeping, ensuring correct alignment of the docking mechanisms before the crew began the final approach toward the Station.

Docking occurred at 3:53 a.m. Central time (0953 GMT) as the Soyuz and the Station passed over western Asia. Within minutes, hooks and latches engaged between the Soyuz and Zarya to link the return vehicle and the Station firmly together. After a series of leak checks, the crew planned to reenter the Station to begin reconfiguring Station operating systems for normal operations.

The repositioning of the Soyuz cleared Pirs, which also serves as an airlock, for a pair of spacewalks by Chiao and Sharipov early next year.

###
NASA Johnson Space Center Shuttle Mission/Space Station Status Reports and other information are available automatically by sending an Internet electronic mail message to listserv@listserver.jsc.nasa.gov. In the body of the message (not the subject line) users should type "subscribe hsfnews" (no quotes). This will add the e-mail address that sent the subscribe message to the news release distribution list. The system will reply with a confirmation via e-mail of each subscription. Once you have subscribed you will receive future news releases via e-mail.