Florida Congressional Candidate Annette Taddeo Pledges Action on HIV/AIDS Epidemic

MIAMI, FL  -- Annette Taddeo, candidate for US House of Representatives in Florida's 18th district, has pledged to support a comprehensive strategy to fight HIV/AIDS in the US and around the world.

She joins Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart (R-FL), and twelve other candidates for the US House of Representatives, from across the US, who have signed the pledge.  The full list of signers and the text of the pledge can be found at www.globalaidsalliancefund.org.

105,614 Floridians are HIV-positive, and in 2006 there were 4,932 new cases, according the latest data available from the US Centers for Disease Control.

"HIV/AIDS is a major issue in South Florida, and we congratulate Annette Taddeo for pledging the kind of leadership we need in the fight against AIDS in the US and around the world," said Dr. Paul Zeitz, Executive Director of the Global AIDS Alliance Fund.

"We need leadership in Congress that will back a science-based approach and deliver on the funding needed to get ahead of this crisis.  The pledge helps voters see who is prepared to take a bold stand on this issue, and it gives us a clear promise we can hold legislators to after the election."

"Fighting AIDS is an issue that goes beyond partisan politics," noted Zeitz. "Voters can be sure that signers of our pledge grasp the magnitude of the AIDS crisis. We hope that Rep. Ros-Lehtinen and other Congressional candidates in Florida will agree to sign the pledge as well."

HIV/AIDS prevention efforts are paying off, but, at a global level, the disease still infects 7,500 people each day.

The pledge, sponsored by AIDS Action Council and the Global AIDS Alliance Fund, commits candidates to backing a National AIDS Strategy that is comprehensive and based on scientific evidence, not ideology.

The pledge includes a promise to focus on the prevention and treatment needs of African Americans, other communities of color, gay men, and other groups at elevated risk.

Approximately 56,000 people are infected with HIV each year in the United States.  Hispanics account for 25% of new HIV/AIDS diagnoses and 19% of people living with HIV/AIDS in the US.

The epidemic is also having a severe impact in the Caribbean, according to UN statistics. In the Dominican Republic, 62,000 people are estimated to be living with HIV/AIDS, and the disease killed 3,900 people there last year.  In Haiti 120,000 people are living with the virus, and there were 7,500 deaths from HIV/AIDS last year.

The pledge also commits candidates to backing a thorough reform of foreign aid, to ensure that US aid to alleviate poverty is well spent and to streamline the aid bureaucracy.

Fighting global poverty has strong bipartisan support, even with the financial crisis looming.

On September 25 in New York, Senator McCain stated:  "We can never guarantee our security through military means alone. True security requires a far broader approach, using non-military means to reduce threats before they gather strength. And this is especially true of our strategic interest in fighting disease and extreme poverty across the globe. Promoting development, creating opportunities, and eliminating disease do not only serve our national interests; they also accord with our deepest American values."

Obama has also strongly backed continued aid, making clear funding commitments and setting specific deadlines for success linked to the internationally-agreed Millennium Development Goals.