George W. Bush's anti-HIV program is hailed as 'amazing' — and still crucial at 20

In 2003, President George W. Bush created PEPFAR to help countries tackle the HIV/AIDS crisis. Four years later, he spoke at the Rose Garden to urge lawmakers to set aside $30 billion for the cause over the next 5 years. Joining him were Kunene Tantoh of South Africa and her 4-year-old son (pictured). Tantoh, who is HIV-positive, coordinated a U.S.-funded mentoring program for mothers with HIV. (Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images via Getty Images)

By 2003, the global HIV/AIDS situation was reaching its deadliest peak. The previous year, 4.8 million people contracted HIV and 2.75 million died, making it one of the worst years of the HIV epidemic.

It wasn't due to a lack of treatments. In the '90s, effective medications had been developed that made HIV a manageable condition rather than a death sentence. But these drugs were available almost exclusively in richer countries. So the burden of illness and death shifted to lower-resource countries.