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REMARKS BY:     LOUIS W. SULLIVAN, M.D., SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND
                   HUMAN SERVICES
PLACE:          World Health Organization
DATE:           November 30, 1990

World AIDS Day

I am pleased to join with the World Health Organization and people around the globe in marking World AIDS Day. In the United States and throughout the world, an enormous task still lies before us in containing and ultimately overcoming AIDS. In January, I will visit several African nations on behalf of the President and will observe firsthand the enormous challenge that AIDS is presenting on the African continent.

During the past nine years, scientists from around the world have made great strides in the fight against AIDS. Their efforts have yielded medicines which are extending and improving the quality of life for those who are infected. But this work will not be complete until we find a cure and a vaccine.

In the United States, despite years of extensive programs targeted at AIDS education by the government, the private sector and community organizations, there are still significant groups in our society who are not being reached. Minorities, particularly intravenous drug users and their sex partners, are fast becoming the majority of new AIDS cases. Women and children are now the fastest growing category of new AIDS cases in America. In addition, high rates of venereal disease among adolescents indicates that many of our young people are putting themselves at risk for contracting HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.

We must continue to work diligently in our efforts to reach all of our citizens with the vital information they need to protect themselves. We must teach them how the virus is spread and how it is not spread. We must teach them that they have the power to make choices which can save their lives, the lives of their children and of others they love. Each of us has a part to play, whether we are scientists, health care professionals, volunteers, or parents, talking to our children and teaching them about this virus. We need to teach our children how precious their lives are and how to preserve their health.

Today, as we remember those who have died from this disease, and recognize the men and women who have given their energies and resources to this fight, I call upon all Americans to assess their personal risk for HIV infection and if indicated, change their behavior, be tested, and seek counseling and treatment.

I also call upon all Americans to recognize that this is not a disease which affects other people. It is a disease which has struck at the family of man, our family. I would today and every day ask Americans to hold out a helping hand to people living with AIDS.

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