Biden marks World Aids Day with plan to eradicate disease by 2030

President outlines strategy to boost money for research, increase access to treatment and recognise role racism plays in inequity

US President Joe Biden speaks during a World Aids Day commemoration event in the East Room of the White House. AFP

US President Joe Biden commemorated World Aids Day on Wednesday by unveiling his vision to eradicate the disease in the country by 2030.

"We are within a striking distance of eliminating HIV transmission, within striking distance," Mr Biden told a group of politicians and activists at the White House.

The strategy seeks to boost money for research, increase access to treatment and recognise the role racism plays in inequitable access to medical services.

"The strategy takes on racial and gender disparities in our health system ... to ensure that our national response is a truly equitable response," Mr Biden said.

We are within a striking distance of eliminating HIV transmission, within striking distance

Joe Biden

New HIV infections in the US fell about 8 per cent from 2015 to 2019, but black and Latino communities – particularly gay and bisexual men in those groups – continue to be disproportionately affected, the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention says.

The target is for a 75 per cent reduction in new infections by 2025 and 90 per cent by 2030.

"It's a roadmap for how we're going to put our foot on the gas and accelerate our efforts to end the HIV epidemic in the United States by the year 2030. That's the goal," Mr Biden said.

During the 2020 presidential campaign, he promised to update the national strategy, which was started in 2010 by president Barack Obama.

Mr Biden announced the plan as the world struggles to contain the Covid-19 pandemic.

The North Portico of the White House is adorned with a huge red ribbon to commemorate the annual World Aids Day. AP

The new Aids strategy seeks to address social issues that contribute to HIV risk and results.

It encourages reform of state laws that criminalise HIV transmission and adds a new focus on opportunities to engage the private sector to help fight the epidemic.

The US government initially looked at the Aids epidemic with denial and indifference when HIV was first detected in the country.

The Biden administration has asked the US Congress for $670 million to support the Department of Health and Human Services’ "Ending the HIV Epidemic in the US Initiative", which aims to reduce HIV diagnoses and Aids-related deaths.

In the 40 years since US researchers encountered the first cases of Aids, there have been about 700,000 US deaths and more than 36 million worldwide.

Top US infectious diseases specialists, including Mr Biden's leading medical adviser Anthony Fauci, brought years of experience from fighting Aids to the Covid-19 crisis.

Now, new lessons gained during the pandemic could be applied to Aids.

The Biden administration recently announced it will host the Global Fund to Fight Aids replenishment conference next year.

The US has contributed about $17 billion to the fund, about a third of all donations.

The UN said on Monday that HIV infection rates were not slowing enough around the world to reach the goal of eradicating Aids everywhere by 2030.

Agencies contributed to this report