British singer, Elton John has said that AIDS can be eradicated in this lifetime but with more funding.
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'AIDS can be eradicated with more funding' - Singer urges US congress
He said AIDS can be eradicated in his lifetime, but only if the US government continues funding the fight against the virus.
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John made this known while speaking at a Senate hearing that is considering funding for the US's global Aids programme.
He said AIDS can be eradicated in his lifetime, but only if the US government continues funding the fight against the virus.
According to him,
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"We cannot afford to let the window close if our efforts flag. Drug resistance will surface, transmission rates will rise and this disease which knows no boundaries will once again become a ruthless pandemic with disastrous and far-reaching consequences. This is the most powerful legislative body in the world and this Congress indeed has the power to end AIDS."
He also said, when asked by Senator Lindsey Graham, who alongside Senator Patrick Leahy invited the singer to speak, that his worst fear about the virus was the stigma.
He mentioned Africa as an example, saying that "draconian laws" were forcing gay men with HIV to go underground "and the disease is spread even further".
He added that "getting people to feel unashamed... because they may have a sexual orientation that the leader of the government may not approve of, is incredibly important,"
The President's Emergency Plan for Aids Relief, also known as Pepfar, was launched by President George Bush in 2003, and has been strengthened by his successor Barack Obama.
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For fiscal year 2016, $6.542 billion has been requested for the programme.
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