PEPFAR Participation in the International AIDS Conference

By Ambassador Eric Goosby, U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator (Cross-posted from the State Department Blog, originally posted on July 16, 2010)

From July 18 to 23, I will lead the U.S. Government delegation to the XVIII International AIDS Conference in Vienna, Austria. This year's meeting is particularly important for those of us involved in the fight against global AIDS. Working together, the global community has made tremendous progress on HIV/AIDS, thanks in large part to U.S. leadership through the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). The United States finances more than half of the global response to the epidemic, and we are building on PEPFAR and other successful global health efforts under the U.S. Global Health Initiative (GHI).

The conference brings together an estimated 25,000 participants, including scientists, health care providers, people living with HIV/AIDS, community and business leaders, government, non-governmental, and multilateral organization representatives, to discuss efforts to stop HIV/AIDS. The United States will use this opportunity to share data, best practices, and lessons learned from PEPFAR's programs with the global community. For those who cannot attend in person, sessions from the conference can be viewed online thanks to the Kaiser Family Foundation's webcast coverage of the conference.

Future Priorities for NIAID’s HIV Prevention Research

By Carl W. Dieffenbach, Ph.D., Director of NIAID's Division of AIDS

As we begin to discuss the restructuring of NIAID's clinical trials networks, let us first focus on the Institute's HIV prevention research agenda. Developing new biomedical tools that can safely and effectively prevent HIV acquisition and transmission is critical to addressing the global HIV/AIDS pandemic. Currently, we are exploring several promising HIV prevention strategies that, if proven successful, could have a significant impact on reducing the incidence of new infections. These strategies include microbicides — gels, foams, creams, and other formulations designed to prevent sexual transmission of HIV — and pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), attempting to block HIV infection by providing antiretroviral medicines to people who are not infected with HIV but who are at high risk for infection. HIV vaccines are also a major focus of our prevention research efforts, but we will discuss that area specifically in an upcoming blog post.

The Obama Administration’s Commitment to the Fight Against Global AIDS

By Ambassador Eric Goosby, U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator

Ambassador Goosby is welcomed by representatives from the Infectious Diseases Institute at Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda.

On February 1, the Obama Administration released the FY2011 federal budget request. This request reflects the continued strong commitment of the U.S. Government to the fight against global AIDS. It is a central piece of the foreign policy and global health agenda outlined by President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton.

I’ve been working in HIV/AIDS for 25 years, both domestically and internationally. I can remember the days before the launch of the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). At that time, in most of the sub-Saharan African countries that we’re engaged in now, patients were two to a bed, put under the bed, on the floors, and in the hallways, waiting for treatments that basically weren’t available.

Ambassador Eric Goosby: U.S., Malawi Partner in Fight Against AIDS

We’re excited to be adding a monthly update from our colleagues at the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). In this month’s post, you’ll hear from Ambassador Eric Goosby, the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator, on his recent trip to Malawi. (Cross-posted from the State Department Blog)

Ambassador Eric Goosby

This week, I had the honor of traveling to Malawi to visit with Government of the Republic of Malawi officials and civil society members and observe programs supported by the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). I also attended the Third Southern Africa Regional Meeting of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria with Professor Michel Kazatchkine, Executive Director of the Global Fund.

The progress I observed on my visit was very encouraging.

With support from PEPFAR and the Global Fund, Malawi has provided life-saving antiretroviral therapy to over 170,000 Malawians, and supported HIV counseling and testing services for over 300,000 pregnant women. Additionally, the number of centers providing HIV/AIDS services in Malawi has increased from only nine in 2004 to 300 this year. The country is continually increasing access to HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment and care in areas in need of services.