USAID Administrator Natsios Participates in Launch of Presidential HIV Prevention Initiative in Haiti
WASHINGTON, DC 20523
PRESS OFFICE
http://www.usaid.gov/
Press: (202) 712-4320
Public Information: (202) 712-4810
2003-067
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 21, 2003
Contact: USAID Press Office
WASHINGTON, DC -- President George W. Bush's Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission (PMTCT) Initiative for Haiti was launched in Port-au-Prince today. The Initiative addresses the tragedy of mother-to-child transmission of the HIV virus, which each year infects nearly one million children around the world with the virus that causes AIDS.
The PMTCT program is a $500 million Presidential Initiative. The goal of the initiative is to support national programs to provide PMTCT services to one million HIV-infected pregnant women and reduce transmission of HIV from mothers to children by 40 percent in fourteen targeted countries. The fourteen targeted countries are: Haiti, Guyana, Botswana, Cote d'Ivoire, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia.
Along with U.S. Ambassador to Haiti Dean Curran, USAID Administrator Andrew S. Natsios and Health and Human Services Deputy Secretary Claude Allen participated in the launch of the Haiti portion of the Initiative.
"We all know the terrible costs that HIV/AIDS has imposed on Haitian life. Between four and six thousand children are born with the virus every year. Now, we have a way to stop that, a program that will prevent most of Haiti's HIV-positive mothers from passing the disease on to their children during childbirth," said Natsios.
As a key component of the Initiative Haiti, USAID is supporting a joint GHESKIO and Ministry of Health initiative to establish a national network of Voluntary Testing and Counseling (VCT) and PMTCT centers in all reference hospitals and designated NGO sites in each health district. USAID has supported GHESKIO (the world's second oldest HIV/AIDS research center) since 1983 and is contributing $1,559,000 this year for national and regional HIV/AIDS initiatives.
The activities of the Haiti program include:
- The provision of PMTCT services to 17% of HIV/AIDS sero-positive pregnant women in Haiti during the first year of the project;
- Adding PMTCT services to 80% of U.S. Government-assisted counseling and testing centers by the end of the first year of the project;
- Starting up five faith-based PMTCT service sites; and
- Training 60 Haitian health department workers and 200 community based volunteers.
The Global Fund is also contributing to GHESKIO's efforts to expand treatment and services with a $13 million, five-year grant. The Center for Disease Control (CDC) is supporting GHESKIO's role in the
antenatal clinic HIV and STI surveillance activity and is providing approximately $300,000 for supplies, equipment and operational support for this activity.
The U.S. Agency for International Development has provided economic and humanitarian assistance worldwide for more than 40 years.
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