ATLANTA, Oct. 28,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- HIV and AIDS activist Zackie
Achmat today received the 2024 James and Sarah Fries Prize for
Improving Health. Achmat is honored for his groundbreaking work in
increasing access to life-saving therapies for people living with
HIV/AIDS in South Africa and other
low- and middle-income countries. His efforts have led to millions
of lives saved and substantial increases in life expectancy.
The James and Sarah Fries Prize for Improving Health award was
presented this afternoon at the American Public Health
Association's (APHA) annual meeting, which is taking place in
Minneapolis. The award recognizes an outstanding leader
who is making major contributions to the improvement of public
health. It is intended for those who have done the most to improve
health for the greatest number of people. The monetary award for
the James and Sarah Fries Prize for Improving Health is
$100,000.
"Zackie's heroic advocacy for South Africans to get fair and
equitable access to lifesaving therapies for HIV and AIDS
exemplifies the true meaning of the James and Sarah Fries Prize for
Improving Health—doing the most good for the most people," said
Martha Katz, MPA, board chair of the
James F. and Sarah T. Fries Foundation. "We are so honored to
present Zackie with this year's award."
In response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic, Achmat co-founded the
Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) in 1998. TAC led a robust effort to
guarantee that all South Africans in need, regardless of their
financial situation, could have anti-retroviral drugs. His
leadership has changed South
Africa's strategy for treating HIV/AIDS. Remarkably, more
South Africans are now receiving treatment than ever before,
despite the country once having one of the highest rates of HIV
infections worldwide.
Sandra Thurman, senior advisor,
Bureau of Global Health Security & Diplomacy, U.S. Department
of State Director, who nominated Achmat for the Fries award stated,
"I witnessed first-hand how the determination of one thoughtful and
passionate individual could impact the lives of thousands. In the
midst of extreme stigma and discrimination, political apathy and
misinformation, Zackie co-founded the Treatment Action Campaign, a
grassroots organization that literally altered the course of the
HIV/AIDS epidemic in South Africa
and beyond. Zackie exemplifies everything about contemporary public
health practice: the right to health, the importance of science and
principled advocacy."
Achmat has spent his life fighting for justice, equality,
dignity and freedom, particularly for working-class people and
vulnerable minorities in South
Africa and throughout the world. In addition to TAC, he
co-founded several other influential organizations including Equal
Education, the Social Justice Coalition, Ndifuna Ukwazi, Reclaim
the City and #UniteBehind. These organizations focused on political
education, research, mobilization and litigation.
Achmat's contributions to public health and social justice have
earned him numerous accolades including the Desmond Tutu Leadership
Awards, the Nelson Mandela Award for
Health and Human Rights, as well as a Nobel Peace Prize nomination.
His work continues to inspire activists and public health
professionals worldwide, embodying the principles of health for all
and human rights.
The James F. and Sarah T. Fries Foundation is a nonprofit
corporation founded in 1991. The mission of the foundation is to
identify and honor individuals, organizations or institutions that
have made great contributions to the health of the public. The
foundation seeks to reward accomplishment rather than promise,
practicality rather than theory.
The CDC Foundation is honored to partner with the James F. and
Sarah T. Fries Foundation, which established and funds the award.
The CDC Foundation manages and administers the Fries Foundation's
public health award programs, which include the James and Sarah
Fries Prize for Improving Health and the Elizabeth Fries Health
Education Award.
Nominations for the James and Sarah Fries Prize for Improving
Health will open on December 2, 2024,
please visit the Fries Awards for Health nomination page for more
information.
About the CDC Foundation
The CDC Foundation helps the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) save and improve
lives by unleashing the power of collaboration between CDC,
philanthropies, corporations, organizations and individuals to
protect the health, safety and security of America and the world.
The CDC Foundation is the go-to nonprofit authorized by Congress to
mobilize philanthropic partners and private-sector resources to
support CDC's critical health protection mission. Since 1995, the
CDC Foundation has raised over $2.2
billion and launched more than 1,400 programs impacting a
variety of health threats from chronic disease conditions including
cardiovascular disease and cancer, to infectious diseases like
rotavirus and HIV, to emergency responses, including COVID-19 and
Ebola. The CDC Foundation managed hundreds of programs in
the United States and in nearly 80
countries last year. Learn more at www.cdcfoundation.org. Follow
the CDC Foundation on Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, X/Twitter and
TikTok.
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