[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1613 Introduced in House (IH)]
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118th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. RES. 1613
Recognizing the importance of a continued commitment to ending
pediatric HIV/AIDS worldwide.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
December 10, 2024
Ms. McClellan (for herself, Mr. Swalwell, Ms. Garcia of Texas, Mr.
Johnson of Georgia, Mr. Quigley, Mr. Grijalva, Ms. Ross, Mrs.
Cherfilus-McCormick, Mrs. Watson Coleman, Ms. Wilson of Florida, Mr.
Jackson of Illinois, Ms. Velazquez, Ms. Sewell, Ms. Williams of
Georgia, Mr. Garamendi, Ms. Norton, Mrs. McIver, Mr. Veasey, Ms. Kelly
of Illinois, Ms. Clarke of New York, Mr. McGovern, Mr. Pocan, Mr. Davis
of Illinois, Mr. Krishnamoorthi, Mr. Carter of Louisiana, and Mr.
Thompson of Mississippi) submitted the following resolution; which was
referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the
Committee on Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently
determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such
provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Recognizing the importance of a continued commitment to ending
pediatric HIV/AIDS worldwide.
Whereas approximately half of the 39,000,000 people living with the human
immunodeficiency virus (HIV), the pathogen that causes the acquired
immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), worldwide are women and girls, and
1,400,000 are children in 2023;
Whereas HIV is a leading cause of death among women of childbearing age
worldwide;
Whereas AIDS is a leading cause of death among adolescent girls globally;
Whereas women around the world rely on essential pre- and post-natal care to
provide screening for diseases such as HIV and care for their health and
the health of their infants;
Whereas, when antiretroviral drugs are used as prophylaxis, mother-to-child
transmission of HIV can be reduced to less than 5 percent;
Whereas, in 2005, only 17 percent of pregnant and breastfeeding women living
with HIV were receiving treatment and services for prevention of mother-
to-child transmission and that number in 2023 was 84 percent;
Whereas 44 percent of new HIV infections globally are among women and girls in
2023;
Whereas, globally, 67 percent of infants born to pregnant women living with HIV
receive a virologic test within the first two months of birth;
Whereas, without treatment half of all children with HIV will die by their
second birthday, and 80 percent by their fifth birthday;
Whereas, in 2018, nearly 90 percent of pregnant women living with HIV in need of
HIV services worldwide live in sub-Saharan Africa;
Whereas 86 percent of children living with HIV are in sub-Saharan Africa;
Whereas, despite increased global and United States efforts, over 110,000
children in Sub-Saharan Africa became infected with HIV in 2022;
Whereas progress in meeting the global 95-95-95 treatment targets by 2030, which
calls for 95 percent of those living with HIV to know their status; 95
percent of those who know their status to be on treatment; and 95
percent of those on treatment to be virally suppressed and sustained, is
slower among children than adults;
Whereas 57 percent of children living with HIV were on life-saving
antiretroviral therapy in 2023 compared to 77 percent of adults
globally;
Whereas 76,000 children died of AIDS-related causes in 2023;
Whereas, every week, approximately 4,000 adolescent girls and young women aged
15 to 24 years became infected with HIV globally in 2023, and 3,100 of
these infections occurred in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Whereas research efforts at the National Institutes of Health have led to
extraordinary breakthroughs for children infected with and at risk for
contracting HIV;
Whereas the United States began investing in prevention of mother-to-child
transmission services in 2002 with the announcement of the United States
International Mother and Child HIV Prevention Initiative;
Whereas, in January 2024, the United States celebrated the 21st anniversary of
the establishment of PEPFAR;
Whereas, in fiscal year 2023, PEPFAR supported HIV testing and counseling for
more than 71,100,000 people and since the program's inception the
provision of antiretroviral drug prophylaxis to prevent mother-to-child
transmission has allowed nearly 5,500,000 babies to be born HIV free;
Whereas the PEPFAR DREAMS initiative is working to reduce new HIV infections in
adolescent and young women in 15 sub-Saharan countries;
Whereas every mother should have the opportunity to fight for the life of her
child; and
Whereas every child and adolescent should have access to medicines to lead a
long and healthy life: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
(1) recognizes that the prevention of mother-to-child
transmission of HIV is critical to stopping the spread of HIV
worldwide;
(2) recognizes that the fight to eliminate pediatric HIV
worldwide has been a priority area for the United States in its
global AIDS response for more than 21 years and calls on this
leadership to continue;
(3) supports providing adolescents and young women with the
evidence-based approaches necessary to prevent new HIV
infections;
(4) supports providing women and children with HIV
counseling and testing services where possible, and scaling up
access to services and medicines that prevent mother-to-child
transmission of HIV and ensure HIV positive mothers survive and
thrive;
(5) supports scaling up of treatment for HIV for children
and adolescents including greater access to more efficacious
antiretroviral drug regimens, age appropriate services, and
support for their caregivers;
(6) applauds the United States leadership on efforts to
eliminate new pediatric HIV infections and to scale-up
pediatric treatment through programs and research;
(7) encourages the United States President's Emergency Plan
for AIDS Relief to continue its leadership through the creation
of a standalone pediatric HIV strategy that is in alignment
with the priority actions for children as defined in the
``Global AIDS Strategy 2021-2026''; and
(8) reaffirms the United States commitment to lead the
world to the end of AIDS, to eliminate new pediatric HIV
infections worldwide, and support women, children, adolescents,
and families infected and affected by HIV.
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