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Federal Government Breaks Tradition by Not Observing World AIDS Day
The U.S. government called an awareness day ineffective and shifted its approach amid activist protests and ongoing global HIV treatment disruptions, officials said.
- On December 1, the United States will not officially commemorate World AIDS Day, ending decades of participation and marking the first U.S. non-participation since the WHO created the day in 1988.
- State Department officials said the decision reflects a new approach to global health, with Tommy Pigott confirming employees were told not to mark the day and the White House having nothing planned.
- Protesters at the White House demanded funding be restored, and Mitchell Warren of AVAC said `I think it's emblematic of an administration that doesn't seem to care`.
- With about 39.9 million people living with HIV globally, UNAIDS warned of "ruinous consequences" this year as disruptions hinder medication access in Zambia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, and Kenya.
- The U.S.'s prior formal observances and PEPFAR funding history frame today's debate, with PEPFAR investing more than $110 billion since 2003 and last year former President Joe Biden hosting an AIDS Memorial Quilt ceremony.
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42 Articles
42 Articles
For the first time since 1988, the U.S. is not officially commemorating World AIDS Day
Noting the decision not to mark the day, the State Department stated: "An awareness day is not a strategy." Activists in the fight to end the ongoing AIDS epidemic disagree.
·Washington, United States
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Total News Sources42
Leaning Left3Leaning Right2Center32Last UpdatedBias Distribution87% Center
Bias Distribution
- 87% of the sources are Center
87% Center
C 87%
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