Statement by Assistant Secretary for Health Admiral Rachel Levine on World AIDS Day 2024

Cross-posted from: HHS Newsroom

In commemoration of World AIDS Day on December 1, Assistant Secretary for Health Admiral Rachel Levine, MD, released the following statement:

“The theme of this year’s World AIDS Day, ‘Collective Action: Sustain and Accelerate HIV Progress,’ reminds us that we must remain steadfast in our commitment to prevent new HIV infections and provide essential services to all people with HIV,” said Assistant Secretary for Health Admiral Rachel Levine, MD.

“Today, we pause to remember the estimated 39 million individuals around the globe with HIV, including approximately 1.2 million people here in the United States. We also remember the 42 million individuals worldwide who have died from HIV/AIDS. Their stories and their lives will continue to motivate and inform our work to end the HIV epidemic.”

“We continue to innovate and develop new tools based on scientific advancements, implementation research, and lessons learned from programs in the field. This World AIDS Day, the Biden–Harris Administration has published a final rule removing HOPE Act research requirements currently in place for transplants of kidneys and livers from donors with HIV to recipients with HIV, helping reduce HIV-related health disparities and expanding the kidney and liver donor network nationwide. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services also continues to implement the Ending the HIV Epidemic in the U.S. (EHE) initiative to achieve the goals of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy.”

“This World AIDS Day, in partnership with people with HIV, health care providers, community organizations, public health officials, tribal leaders, and others, I recommit to our collective action to sustain and accelerate our work to end the HIV epidemic as we know it.”