President Barack ObamaObama has signed the extension...

I'm sure you've heard by now, that President Barack ObamaBarack Obama has signed the extension of the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program on Friday and has also announced that the 22 years old HIV/AIDS ban (to travel into US) is to be lifted by the first of the year, 2010.

I'm wondering what you all think about all this??? Personally, I am amazed that it took so long to happen, but glad to see progress in the fight of this nasty disease.

I have known people with HIV/AIDS and let me tell you, it IS NOT anything to waste time over. Too much time has been wasted already! I'm truly glad to see the ban lifted and the extension signed, however...I am truly hoping that we will see more...much more education about this disease in the newspapers, magazines, on billboards and even in our schools. YES, I said in our schools. Seems to me that IF we were teaching our young better about this disease the number of young Americans getting infected would be dropping, not increasing...???????

We need to EDUCATE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"We talk about reducing the stigma of this disease, yet we've treated a visitor living with it as a threat," he said at the White House. "If we want to be the global leader in combating HIV/AIDS, we need to act like it."

I agree...Let's ACT LIKE IT and EDUCATE PEOPLE!!!!!!

While The United States, is one of only a dozen countries that still bar the entry of people living with HIV, almost 60 nations impose some sort of travel restrictions on people living with HIV/AIDS.

The lifting of the ban will make it possible for people infected with this horrible disease to get the appropriate medications and treatments that they may not otherwise be able to get.

Lifting the ban is a "step that will encourage people to get tested and get treatment. It's a step that will keep families together, and it's a step that will save lives." says the President.

The Extension Act that was signed will give a 5 percent annual increase in federal support over the next four years. The funding is scheduled to rise from more than $2.5 billion in 2010 to nearly $3billion in 2013.

As you may know, The Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program is a Federal program that provides HIV-related health services. The program works with cities, states, and local community-based organization to provide services to more than half a million people each year.

The program is for those who do not have sufficient health care coverage or financial resources for coping with HIV disease. Ryan White fills gaps in care not covered by these other sources. The majority of Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program funds support primary medical care and essential support services. A smaller but equally critical portion is used to fund technical assistance, clinical training, and research on innovative models of care.

Ryan White is administered by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), HIV/AIDS Bureau (HAB). Federal funds are awarded to agencies located around the country, which in turn deliver care to eligible individuals under funding categories called Parts, as outlined below. First authorized in 1990, the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program is currently funded at $2.1 billion.

"Today is a great day for human rights and for people living with AIDS, their friends and their families," said CEO Frank Donaghue. "The HIV Travel Ban made the United States a pariah in human rights circles, and harmed our reputation as a world leader of HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment and care.

"Starting in 2010, people living with HIV will no longer be prevented from entering this country, no longer turned away at customs, no longer forced to hide their condition and interrupt medical treatment, and no longer be treated by our government with contempt."

An estimated 1 million people in the United States have HIV, according the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Almost one-quarter of them are not aware that they are infected, the CDC says.

These efforts are a great step in the right direction in the world of HIV/AIDS education, control and prevention. I don't think these steps are nearly enough...as I'm sure many of you don't either, but at least "We have take off Houston!!!"

Comments welcome...What do you think? *grin*