New York (CNN) -- U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Thursday unveiled what she described as a "blueprint" to guide global efforts in wiping out the AIDS virus, focusing on improving treatment and prevention practices to "get ahead of the pandemic." The initiative is part of a plan to "usher in an AIDS-free generation," said Clinton, who hailed a 200% increase in U.S.-funded antiretroviral drug treatments since 2008. Clinton announced the plan, officially titled the "President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) Blueprint: Creating an AIDS-free Generation," at the State Department, two days ahead of World AIDS Day. She was joined by Eric Goosby, U.S. global AIDS coordinator.
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The announcement comes amid significant gains in fighting the virus
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AIDS-related deaths have dropped more than 25% over the last six years, U.N. says
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About 1.1 million people in the U.S. live with HIV, the CDC says
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Roughly 50,000 people contract the virus each year
And yet while nearly a quarter of new cases in the United States are found in young people, more than half of them do not know they are infected, according to the @placeholder.