Letter to the Editor: FDA commemorates 20th anniversary of HIV/AIDS
April 1, 2002
FDA commemorates 20th anniversary of HIV/AIDS
Articles published in magazine and on-line
By Richard Klein
Director, HIV/AIDS Program
Office of Special Health Issues
Food and Drug Administration
Washington, DC
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The year 2001 marked the 20th year that the world has been engaged in the war against AIDS. While many tragic and serious events have understandably overshadowed HIV and AIDS over the past months, the epidemic is no less a part of our lives, no less serious, and no less tragic than it has always been. When the smoke and dust of the tragic events of Sept. 11 and the war on terrorism start to settle, AIDS will still be here, silently infecting over 40,000 new people a year in the United States, and millions worldwide.
This year’s theme for World AIDS Day — Youth and AIDS in the 21st Century — reflects the growing percentage of young people being infected. People under the age of 25 now represent half of all new HIV infections. The knowledge and values we pass on to our youth will impact the decisions they make and the kinds of behaviors they choose. Each of us carries within us the power to make a difference.
Editor’s note: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has published the articles cited below in commemoration of the twentieth anniversary of the HIV epidemic. They appear in the November-December 2001 issue of the FDA Consumer, the magazine of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and on-line at the links provided below.
• "Living with AIDS - 20 Years Later," by Ann Christiansen Bullers: www.fda.gov/fdac/features/2001/601_aids.html
• The Last Word: "Living With the Enemy: Never Letting Our Guard Down," by Jeffrey S. Murray, MD, MPH: www.fda.gov/fdac/departs/2001/601_word.html
• "Home Diagnostic Test: The Ultimate House Call?" by Carol Lewis: www.fda.gov/fdac/features/2001/601_home.html
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