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PEPFAR making strides in
HIV prevention, Care in Ethiopia: USAID |
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ADDIS
ABABA(July 11,2008) - The U.S.Agency for International
Development's (USAID) HIV/AIDS Care and Support Program has since
its inception in June 2007 supported nearly 400 health centers including
supporting life-saving antiretroviral treatment for more than 21,000
people and training approximately 1,500. health providers in HIV and
TB counseling and testing curriculum.
This was revealed at a press event where the program unveiled progress
and achievements at its first annual review meeting at the Sheraton
here in Addis Ababa.
USAID's Chief of party Dr. Bannet Ndyanabangi, presented the annual
review in the presence of Dr. Kebede Worku, State Minister of Health,
and Nancy Estes, USAID Acting Mission Director, who also delivered
remarks at the event.
Working in partnership with the Government of Ethiopia to rapidly
expand services, the program has also provided HIV counseling and
testing for over 934,000 people.
The USAID HIV/AIDS Care and Support Program is funded through the
U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), the largest
international health initiative in history dedicated to a single disease.
The five-year, $18.8 billion, works in countries around the world
to combat HIV/AIDS through programs to prevent HIV infection, and
provide comprehensive care and treatment to those affected and infected
by HIV/AIDS.
Globally, PEPFAR supported life-saving antiretroviral treatment for
approximately 1.73 million men, women and children through March 31,
2008.
The national expansion HIV/AIDS services at the community and health
center level made possible by USAID's HIV/AIDS Care and Support Program
in Ethiopia is one of the largest in Africa, according to a press
statement made available for the media.
The three-year program in Ethiopia aims to strengthen health systems
and rapidly scale up diagnostic and treatment services for HIV/AIDS
and TB.
The program uses a results-oriented framework, a family-focused approach,
and performance-based contracting to engage a large number of public
and private institutions in the rapid scale-up of services.
The program targets five key regions: Amhara, Addis Ababa, Oromiya,
SNNPR, and Tigray, it added.
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