HIV/AIDS Activist Zackie Achmat Receives 2024 James and Sarah Fries Prize for Improving Health

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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