END OF HIV ENTRY BAN BRINGS INTERNATIONAL AIDS CONFERENCE TO THE UNITED STATES

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FYI....

National Office - Washington, DC: 202-835-8373

Administrative Office - Tampa, FL: 813-258-5929

For Immediate Release: 12.1.09

Media Contacts: Carl Schmid, (202) 669-8267 cschmid@...

END OF HIV ENTRY BAN BRINGS INTERNATIONAL AIDS CONFERENCE TO THE UNITED STATES

Prestigious Research Conference to be held in Washington, DC in 2012

Washington, DC – After a twenty year international boycott of the United States, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton announced yesterday at a World AIDS Day event at the White House that Washington, DC has been selected to host the XIX International AIDS Conference in 2012.

“The AIDS Institute welcomes the return of the prestigious International AIDS Conference to the United States after what will be a 22 year absence,” commented Carl Schmid, Deputy Executive Director of The AIDS Institute and a member of the steering committee that has worked to bring the conference to Washington, DC. “This would not have occurred without the removal of the archaic and unjust HIV entry ban, which has prevented people with HIV/AIDS from traveling and immigrating to the United States for the past 22 years,” he added. The Obama Administration announced in late October that the HIV entry ban will officially end on January 4, 2010.

As President Obama remarked, “We lead the world when it comes to helping stem the AIDS pandemic -- yet we are one of only a dozen countries that still bar people with HIV from entering our own country. If we want to be the global leader in combating HIV/AIDS, we need to act like it.”

The AIDS Institute has helped lead the effort to lift the ban over the past several years. Congress removed the legislative ban when it reauthorized PEPFAR (the United States Global Leadership Against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria Reauthorization Act of 2008), which former President W. Bush signed on July 30, 2008. With the Congressional ban lifted, HIV was still classified as a communicable disease of public health concern by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The rule recently published by the Obama Administration removes HIV from the list of diseases that make aliens ineligible for entry into the U.S.

“Holding the conference in Washington, DC will not only highlight the U.S. contribution to the global AIDS pandemic, but shines a spotlight on the domestic epidemic, including the high rate of HIV/AIDS in Washington, DC,” commented Ruppal, Executive Director of The AIDS Institute.

At yesterday’s White House event, International AIDS Society President-Elect Dr. Elly Katabira, Professor of Medicine at Makerere University in Uganda said the conference is expected to convene more than 25,000 delegates from nearly 200 countries. The conference will be held July 22-27, 2012 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center.

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For more information and to become involved in AIDS advocacy work, please contact The AIDS Institute at: (202) 835-8373, or by email at: Info@... or www.TheAIDSInstitute.org

The AIDS Institute is a national nonprofit agency that promotes action for social change through public policy research, advocacy and education.

OFFICES

2001 S Street, NW, Suite 510, Washington, DC 20009- 202 835 8373 - fax 202 835 8368

17 Blvd. Suite 403, Tampa, FL 33606 - 813 258 5929 - fax 813 258 5939

Carl Schmid

Deputy Executive Director

The AIDS Institute

Washington DC

202/462-3042

cell: 202/669-8267

fax: 202/328-0467

cschmid@...

Carl Schmid

Deputy Executive Director

The AIDS Institute

Washington DC

202/462-3042

cell: 202/669-8267

fax: 202/328-0467

cschmid@...