Ellen DeGeneres Named AIDS Envoy; US Pledges New Funding

First Published: November 8, 2011 2:47 PM EST Credit: Getty Images

Caption Ellen DeGeneres poses in the press room during the “American Idol Gives Back” event, held at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, Los Angeles, April 25, 2007

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The Obama administration has announced $60 million in additional funding to fight AIDS transmission in sub-Saharan Africa, and a new special envoy to raise global awareness about the deadly disease: Ellen DeGeneres.

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton says the actress will “bring her sharp wit and big heart, and her impressive TV audience and 8 million followers on Twitter” to support U.S. efforts to save the lives of those suffering from HIV/AIDS.

Clinton says the money will help scale up and assess new prevention strategies.

She said Tuesday that more effective prevention methods were driving infections down, making it possible to treat more people. She said that is allowing health campaigners for the first time to “get ahead of the pandemic,” and make progress toward establishing an AIDS-free generation.

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