This Day in History: January 29, 2003
Additional Date: January 29, 2003
The American president, George W Bush, announced his five-year $15 billion Emergency Plan for HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment in twelve African and two Caribbean countries during his State of the Union address at a congress session in the USA. The president introduced this plan to counter severe challenges posed by the HIV/AIDS crisis. He stated that nearly 30 million people on the African continent have the AIDS virus, including 3 million children under the age of fifteen. Yet across the continent, only 50,000 victims were receiving the medicine they need. Bush believed that this plan could prevent a possible seven million new AIDS infections, treat two million with life extending drugs and provide humane care for millions of people suffering from Aids or for children orphaned by Aids.