A Partnership with the Ethiopian Orthodox Church to Combat HIV/AIDS

PEPFAR in Ethiopia

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 Under PEPFAR, Ethiopia received more than $48 million in Fiscal Year (FY) 2004, more than $83.7 million in FY2005, approximately $123 million in FY2006, and $241.8 million in FY2007 to support comprehensive HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment and care programs. PEPFAR is providing more than $354.5 million in FY2008.
U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) was launched in 2003 — the largest international public health initiative aimed at a single disease that any nation has ever undertaken.
PEPFAR plans to support treatment for at least 3 million people; prevention of 12 million new infections; and care for 12 million people, including 5 million orphans and vulnerable children.

PEPFAR Results in Ethiopia

# of individuals receiving antiretroviral treatment as of September 30,20081: 119,600

# of HIV-positive individuals who received care and support in FY2008 (including TB/HIV)1:  436,500

# of orphans and vulnerable children (OVCs) who were served by an OVC program in FY20081: 456,200

# of pregnant women receiving HIV counseling and testing services for PMTCT since the beginning of PEPFAR: 403,500

# of HIV-positive pregnant women receiving antiretroviral prophylaxis for PMTCT since the beginning of PEPFAR: 11,871

# of counseling and testing encounters (in settings other than PMTCT) in FY20081:  3,504,800

# of individuals reached with community outreach HIV/AIDS prevention programs that promote Abstinence and/or Being Faithful in FY 2008 : 6,970,900

# of individuals reached with community outreach HIV/AIDS prevention activities that promote Condoms and related prevention services in FY2008 : 5,416,500

# of USG condoms shipped from Calendar Year 2004 to 2008 165,978,000
http://www.pepfar.gov/press/countries/profiles/116132.htm




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PEPFAR in Uganda

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However, there is much criticism with the PEPFAR program because  of its strict requirements like, 33%  of the country's  funding is required to go to ABSTINENCE-UNTIL-MARRIAGE programs and limited condom distribution to only "high-risk" individuals. This approach counters the effective comprehensive  prevention programs which have shown effectiveness in slowing down rates of HIV.
The harmful effects of Bush's PEPFAR prevention policies have most recently taken shape in Uganda where comprehensive prevention efforts were credited with dramatically reducing the HIV prevalence over the past decade. Pressures of PEPFAR funding requirements have caused a notable shift in the prevention approaches of the Ugandan government however as President Museveni and other leaders have strongly endorsed abstinence-only programs and increased anti-condom rhetoric over the past year.
http://www.healthgap.org/camp/pepfar.html


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John McCain's response to 'Whether or not Condoms protect against HIV?"

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March 16, 2007, 4:14 pm McCain Stumbles on H.I.V. Prevention
By Adam Nagourney
Senator John McCain at a town hall meeting today. (Photo: Greg Brown/Associated Press) SOMEWHERE in NORTHERN IOWA — The unthinkable has happened. Senator John McCain met a question, while sitting with reporters on his bus as it rumbled through Iowa today, that he couldn’t – or perhaps wouldn’t – answer.

Did he support the distribution of taxpayer-subsidized condoms in Africa to fight the transmission of H.I.V.?

What followed was a long series of awkward pauses, glances up to the ceiling and the image of one of Mr. McCain’s aides, standing off to the back, urgently motioning his press secretary to come to Mr. McCain’s side.

The upshot was that Mr. McCain said he did not know this subject well, did not know his position on it, and relied on the advice of Senator Tom Coburn, a physician and Republican from Oklahoma.

His press secretary, Brian Jones, later reported that Mr. McCain had a record of voting against using government money to finance the distribution of condoms.

All this took place on the second day of the reprise of the “Straight Talk Express” bus trips that Mr. McCain made a central part of his campaign in 2000. It also comes as Mr. McCain has eagerly been trying to ease strains with social conservatives in the party who, for the most part, do not support using government money to pay for condoms.

A transcript of the encounter follows. (Weaver is John Weaver, his senior adviser, and Brian is Mr. Jones, his press secretary):

Reporter: “Should U.S. taxpayer money go to places like Africa to fund contraception to prevent AIDS?”

Mr. McCain: “Well I think it’s a combination. The guy I really respect on this is Dr. Coburn. He believes – and I was just reading the thing he wrote– that you should do what you can to encourage abstinence where there is going to be sexual activity. Where that doesn’t succeed, than he thinks that we should employ contraceptives as well. But I agree with him that the first priority is on abstinence. I look to people like Dr. Coburn. I’m not very wise on it.”

(Mr. McCain turns to take a question on Iraq, but a moment later looks back to the reporter who asked him about AIDS.)

Mr. McCain: “I haven’t thought about it. Before I give you an answer, let me think about. Let me think about it a little bit because I never got a question about it before. I don’t know if I would use taxpayers’ money for it.”

Q: “What about grants for sex education in the United States? Should they include instructions about using contraceptives? Or should it be Bush’s policy, which is just abstinence?”

Mr. McCain: (Long pause) “Ahhh. I think I support the president’s policy.”

Q: “So no contraception, no counseling on contraception. Just abstinence. Do you think contraceptives help stop the spread of HIV?”

Mr. McCain: (Long pause) “You’ve stumped me.”

Q: “I mean, I think you’d probably agree it probably does help stop it?”

Mr. McCain: (Laughs) “Are we on the Straight Talk express? I’m not informed enough on it. Let me find out. You know, I’m sure I’ve taken a position on it on the past. I have to find out what my position was. Brian, would you find out what my position is on contraception – I’m sure I’m opposed to government spending on it, I’m sure I support the president’s policies on it.”

Q: “But you would agree that condoms do stop the spread of sexually transmitted diseases. Would you say: ‘No, we’re not going to distribute them,’ knowing that?”

Mr. McCain: (Twelve-second pause) “Get me Coburn’s thing, ask Weaver to get me Coburn’s paper that he just gave me in the last couple of days. I’ve never gotten into these issues before.”

This went on for a few more moments until a reporter from the Chicago Tribune broke in and asked Mr. McCain about the weight of a pig that he saw at the Iowa State Fair last year.