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1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, Microbicides are a promising new prevention tool
3 that could reduce HIV transmission among women and men in the
4 United States and around the world; and
 
5     WHEREAS, Women and girls are the new face of HIV and AIDS
6 and account for nearly half of the 39,000,000 adults living
7 with HIV and AIDS worldwide as of 2005; and
 
8     WHEREAS, In the United States women of color are
9 disproportionately affected by HIV and AIDS, representing 84%
10 of new AIDS diagnoses among women; and
 
11     WHEREAS, In Illinois, African-American women represent
12 more than 2 out of 3, or (68%), of women living with HIV; and
 
13     WHEREAS, More than 40,000 people in Illinois were living
14 with HIV or AIDS in 2005; and
 
15     WHEREAS, The United States has the highest rates of
16 sexually transmitted infections (STIs) of any industrialized
17 nation, with more than 15,000,000 new STIs every year; and
 
18     WHEREAS, It is estimated that one in 4 sexually active
19 young adults from ages 15 to 24 contracts an STI each year; and
 

 

 

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1     WHEREAS, Direct medical costs associated with STIs in the
2 United States are estimated at up to $14,100,000,000 annually;
3 and
 
4     WHEREAS, Federal government spending on HIV related
5 medical care in the United States has more than tripled, from
6 $3,700,000,000 in fiscal year 1995 to $13,200,000,000 in fiscal
7 year 2007; and
 
8     WHEREAS, Microbicides may be formulated as gels, creams, or
9 rings to inactivate, block, or otherwise interfere with the
10 transmission of the pathogens that cause HIV and other STIs,
11 allowing women and men to protect themselves from infection;
12 and
 
13     WHEREAS, Unlike current HIV prevention methods,
14 microbicides could allow women to both conceive children and
15 protect themselves from HIV and STIs; and
 
16     WHEREAS, The microbicide field has achieved an
17 extraordinary amount of scientific momentum with a few
18 first-generation candidates now in large scale human trials
19 around the world; and
 
20     WHEREAS, Microbicides are a classic public health product

 

 

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1 for which the social benefits are high but the economic
2 incentive for private investment is low and, like other public
3 health products such as vaccines, public funding must fill the
4 gap; and
 
5     WHEREAS, The federal government needs to make a strong
6 commitment to microbicide research and development; and
 
7     WHEREAS, Three agencies, the National Institutes of Health
8 (NIH), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC),
9 and the United States Agency for International Development
10 (USAID), have played important roles, further strong,
11 well-coordinated, and visible public sector leadership is
12 essential for the promise of microbicides to be fully realized;
13 and
 
14     WHEREAS, HIV and STI prevention strategies must recognize
15 women's unique needs and vulnerabilities if women are to have a
16 genuine opportunity to protect themselves; and
 
17     WHEREAS, The best option for protection from HIV and STIs
18 is the rapid development of new HIV-prevention technologies
19 like microbicides; therefore, be it
 
20     RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL
21 ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that the Senate urges the

 

 

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1 United States Congress and the President of the United States
2 to enact the Microbicide Development Act (S. 823 and H.R.
3 1420), which would amend the Public Health Service Act to
4 facilitate the development of microbicides for preventing the
5 transmission of HIV and other diseases; and be it further
 
6     RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
7 delivered to the President and Vice President of the United
8 States, the Speaker of the United States House of
9 Representatives, the Majority Leader of the United States
10 Senate, and each member of the Illinois congressional
11 delegation.