Action Makes A Difference : World Aids Day, December 1, 2005

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Subject: [NIHPRESS] STATEMENT FROM THE NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH ON
WORLD AIDS DAY


U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH
NIH News
NIH Office of the Director (OD)
http://www.nih.gov/icd/od/
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
http://www3.niaid.nih.gov/

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Wednesday, November 30, 2005

CONTACT: NIH Press Office, 301-496-5787

STATEMENT FROM THE NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH ON WORLD AIDS DAY
"Action Makes A Difference"

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has adopted "Action
Makes a Difference" as the theme for this year's World AIDS Day. Today
we remember that we all can make a difference in helping to bring an end
to the HIV/AIDS pandemic, regardless of our background or expertise.
Everyone has a critical role to play, whether as a scientist, clinician,
volunteer, policy maker, advocate, student, caregiver, person living
with HIV infection, or friend.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has a robust and comprehensive
HIV/AIDS research program. The NIH AIDS research effort represents a
unique and complex multi-institute, multi-disciplinary, global research
program with the ultimate goals of better understanding the basic
biology of HIV, developing effective therapies to treat and control HIV
disease, and designing interventions to prevent new infections from
occurring.

Perhaps no other disease so thoroughly transcends every area of clinical
medicine and basic scientific investigation, crossing the boundaries of
the NIH Institutes and Centers.

"World AIDS Day provides each of us with an opportunity, collectively,
to intensify the commitment to ending the HIV/AIDS pandemic," says NIH
Director Elias Zerhouni, M.D.

HIV/AIDS has now touched virtually every country in the world, and
continues to destroy health, lives, families and societies.
Approximately 40 million people, including more than one million
Americans, are living with HIV/AIDS." In 2005 alone, AIDS caused the
deaths of approximately 3.1 million people worldwide, and about 5
million additional people became infected with HIV.

A key component of the trans-NIH effort is the development of a safe and
effective HIV vaccine. "This crucial tool of prevention has thus far
been elusive, but with ongoing research and collaborations and clinical
trials of promising vaccine candidates, researchers are moving closer to
this "holy grail" of HIV/AIDS prevention," notes Anthony A. Fauci, M.D.,
director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

Researchers also are breaking new ground in developing and evaluating
new therapies for HIV and its complications. Clinical studies are
helping to identify which new agents are effective against HIV and its
associated complications and also to clarify how best to use these
drugs.

Scientists continue to make important progress in developing other
prevention methods such as topical microbicides to prevent HIV
transmission. Topical microbicides are creams, gels or other substances
designed to allow women protect themselves against HIV and other
sexually transmitted infections. Jack Whitescarver, Ph.D., director of
the NIH Office of AIDS Research, says, "Microbicides may be a critical
component of future prevention strategies, especially in settings where
it may be extremely difficult for women to insist on condom use or
otherwise protect themselves from infection."

The NIH commends the many heroes who have dedicated their lives to
slowing the onslaught of HIV/AIDS, and remains optimistic that together
we will find new and better drugs to help those already infected, and
the tools to prevent future infections.

The Office of the Director, the central office at NIH, is responsible
for setting policy for NIH, which includes 27 Institutes and Centers.
This involves planning, managing, and coordinating the programs and
activities of all NIH components. The Office of the Director also
includes program offices which are responsible for stimulating specific
areas of research throughout NIH. Additional information is available at
http://www.nih.gov/icd/od/.

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) - The Nation's Medical Research
Agency - is a component of the U. S. Department of Health and Human
Services. It is the primary Federal agency for conducting and supporting
basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and it investigates
the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For
more information about NIH and its programs, visit http://www.nih.gov.

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This NIH News Release is available online at:
http://www.nih.gov/news/pr/nov2005/od-30.htm.

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