( CNN ) -- We 've come a long way since my early days as the associate medical director of the AIDS clinic at San Francisco General Hospital in the 1980s and 1990s . By 1990 , I had seen over 500 patients die from a disease that we just could n't treat . As an infectious disease doctor , I was overcome not only by the tragic loss of life , but also by the inability to find the `` magic bullet '' to help prevent these deaths . Like many of my colleagues , I devoted my time to caring for my patients and to research . I am proud to say that many of the successful antiretroviral treatments ( ART ) that were developed emerged from San Francisco General . HIV/AIDS treatment was then , and remains today , a true game-changer in saving lives . In the early 1990s , we made unprecedented progress in addressing AIDS in the United States by putting people on treatment . Yet , when I traveled to Africa in the mid-1990s , I was devastated to see what was happening there . AIDS was literally destroying an entire generation , and eroding the very foundation of many African nations . At that time , 85 % of the burden of disease was in sub-Saharan Africa and less than 5 % of the treatment capability was there . That was when I realized that devoting my energies solely to international work was the natural evolution of my career . I was determined that this history of lives needlessly lost would not be repeated . We could not -- and our country has not -- turn our backs on the suffering that was right in front of us . Today , as President Obama makes this historic trip to Africa , we are at a point where an AIDS-free generation is within sight . With the world 's largest number of people living with HIV and AIDS ( 5.6 million ) , South Africa has always been on the front lines of the epidemic . The U.S. government 's response to the epidemic in South Africa began in 2003 when non-governmental organizations initiated the provision of ART . In October 2009 , the tide truly began to turn when South African President Jacob Zuma declared : `` We need to move with urgency and purpose to confront this enormous challenge ... Most importantly , all South Africans need to know their HIV status , and be informed of the treatment options available to them . '' The South African government , with support from the U.S. President 's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief ( PEPFAR ) and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS , Tuberculosis ( TB ) and Malaria , has saved hundreds of thousands of South African lives . To date , we have joined forces to provide 7 million South Africans with HIV testing and counseling , conducted over 170,000 voluntary medical male circumcisions for HIV prevention , and supported more than 1.6 million on ART . And South Africa has reduced the rate of mother-to-child transmission of HIV at six weeks of life dramatically -- from 8.7 % in 2008 to 2.7 % in 2011 . PEPFAR has invested $ 3.7 billion in supporting South Africa 's HIV/AIDS efforts . As South Africa 's battle against AIDS has evolved , so has PEPFAR 's support . Last year , we signed an agreement to make our partnership based on co-investment , showcasing South Africa 's leadership in caring for and treating its own people . As U.S. funding shifts increasingly to HIV prevention , health systems strengthening and technical support -- South Africa is expanding its own investments in the care and treatment of HIV and TB . With the South African government in the lead -- coordinating planning and alignment of implementation with PEPFAR , the Global Fund , and other development partners -- will we see reduced costs and increased access to health and social services . These new partnerships with high-burden countries , forged by the Obama administration , have been a driving force in our collective push to achieve an AIDS-free generation . They allow PEPFAR to invest its resources where they are most needed -- in those countries whose governments do not yet have the capacity to provide critical services for their citizens . Last week , I attended a 10th anniversary celebration of PEPFAR with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry , at which he announced that the one-millionth baby will be born HIV-free this month , thanks to PEPFAR . One million babies in 10 years . Today , I am proud to stand with President Barack Obama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu at one of the pioneering youth and HIV centers in Cape Town . Thanks to the dedication of President George W. Bush , President Obama and bipartisan support from the U.S. Congress -- what a difference a decade has made . Join us on Facebook/CNNOpinion . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Eric P. Goosby .
HIV / AIDS research has come a long way in a way , Goosby says . South Africa has been on the front lines of the crisis , he says . PEPFAR has invested $ 1 billion in supporting South Africa 's HIV / AIDS efforts .