U.S. Unveils Plan to Achieve 'AIDS-free Generation'

Clinton hopes to be ahead of pandemic

The United States announced an ambitious plan to fight the AIDS virus by providing treatment to more people. The plan promises to target vulnerable women and children, drug addicts, gay men, prostitutes and other sex workers who are at especially high risk. “We are committing to rapidly scaling up the most effective interventions and treatment. Eventually we will be able to treat more people than become infected every year. That will be the tipping point. We then will get ahead of the pandemic and an AIDS-free generation will be in sight," said Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. She released new numbers from PEPFAR - the U.S. plan for AIDS relief had provided AIDS drugs to more than 5 million people. Several studies have demonstrated that people who take AIDS drugs are far less likely to pass along the virus. (NBC News)

The new PEPFAR plan has five goals:

- Make strategic, scientifically sound investments to rapidly scale up core HIV prevention, treatment and care interventions and maximize impact.

- Work with partner countries, donor nations, civil society, people living with HIV, faith-based organizations, the private sector, foundations and multilateral institutions to effectively mobilize, coordinate and efficiently utilize resources to expand high-impact strategies, saving more lives sooner.

- Focus on women and girls to increase gender equality in HIV services.

- End stigma and discrimination against people living with HIV and key populations, improving their access to, and uptake of, comprehensive HIV services.

- Set benchmarks for outcomes and programmatic efficiencies through regularly assessed planning and reporting processes to ensure goals are being met.

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