U.S. President George W. Bush urged the Congress on Friday to approve additional 30 billion U.S. dollars for a program under his sponsorship to fight AIDS around the globe.
Bush made the request in his speech at a church in Maryland on the eve of the World AIDS Day, according to a press release from the White House.
The request will be on top of the 15 billion dollars the Bush administration has already committed to the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) since 2003 when the program was launched.
According to the White House, as of Sept. 30 this year, the PEPFAR is supporting treatment for 1.36 million people living with HIV/AIDS in the 15 focus countries in sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean.
In May, Bush first proposed the idea of injecting 30 billion more dollars to the program, with the aim to treat 2.5 million people with HIV-AIDS over next five years.
He is now asking the Congress to authorize the money.
During the speech, Bush also announced that he will visit Africa early next year, as part of his global endeavor to fight the AIDS virus.
Source: Xinhua
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