SR0129 95TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SR0129 LRB095 11776 CMK 34668 r

SENATE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, Microbicides are a promising new prevention tool that could reduce HIV transmission among women and men in the United States and around the world; and

WHEREAS, Women and girls are the new face of HIV and AIDS and account for nearly half of the 39,000,000 adults living with HIV and AIDS worldwide as of 2005; and

WHEREAS, In the United States women of color are disproportionately affected by HIV and AIDS, representing 84% of new AIDS diagnoses among women; and

WHEREAS, In Illinois, African-American women represent more than 2 out of 3, or (68%), of women living with HIV; and

WHEREAS, More than 40,000 people in Illinois were living with HIV or AIDS in 2005; and

WHEREAS, The United States has the highest rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) of any industrialized nation, with more than 15,000,000 new STIs every year; and

WHEREAS, It is estimated that one in 4 sexually active young adults from ages 15 to 24 contracts an STI each year; and

WHEREAS, Direct medical costs associated with STIs in the United States are estimated at up to $14,100,000,000 annually; and

WHEREAS, Federal government spending on HIV related medical care in the United States has more than tripled, from $3,700,000,000 in fiscal year 1995 to $13,200,000,000 in fiscal year 2007; and

WHEREAS, Microbicides may be formulated as gels, creams, or rings to inactivate, block, or otherwise interfere with the transmission of the pathogens that cause HIV and other STIs, allowing women and men to protect themselves from infection; and

WHEREAS, Unlike current HIV prevention methods, microbicides could allow women to both conceive children and protect themselves from HIV and STIs; and

WHEREAS, The microbicide field has achieved an extraordinary amount of scientific momentum with a few first-generation candidates now in large scale human trials around the world; and

WHEREAS, Microbicides are a classic public health product for which the social benefits are high but the economic incentive for private investment is low and, like other public health products such as vaccines, public funding must fill the gap; and

WHEREAS, The federal government needs to make a strong commitment to microbicide research and development; and

WHEREAS, Three agencies, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), have played important roles, further strong, well-coordinated, and visible public sector leadership is essential for the promise of microbicides to be fully realized; and

WHEREAS, HIV and STI prevention strategies must recognize women's unique needs and vulnerabilities if women are to have a genuine opportunity to protect themselves; and

WHEREAS, The best option for protection from HIV and STIs is the rapid development of new HIV-prevention technologies like microbicides; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-FIFTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that the Senate urges the United States Congress and the President of the United States to enact the Microbicide Development Act (S. 823 and H.R. 1420), which would amend the Public Health Service Act to facilitate the development of microbicides for preventing the transmission of HIV and other diseases; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be delivered to the President and Vice President of the United States, the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, the Majority Leader of the United States Senate, and each member of the Illinois congressional delegation.