Grant agreement - AIDS control program for Africa (698-0468) : World Health Organization, Regional Office for Africa

Each member state will be helped to expand AIDS health education efforts; four states will also benefit from further development of their AIDS-related preventive health capabilities. WHO/AFRO"s capacity to coordinate AIDS-related activities will also be strengthened. WHO/AFRO will assist all 45 member states in designing and implementing AIDS education programs for the general public and special at-risk groups. To this end, a special health education liaison officer will be assigned to each WHO country representative"s office, to help adapt educational programs, including social marketing strategies, to national needs and to function as a liaison between the country"s National AIDS Committee and WHO/AFRO. More intensive assistance will be provided to four states, to be chosen on the basis of an existing problem with Lymphodenopathy-Associated Virus/Human T-Lymphotropic Virus Type III (LAV/HTLV-III) infections (which may develop into AIDS) and a willingness to confront this problem. These states will each receive an epidemiological assessment, confirming the existence and extent of LAV/HTLV-III infection, followed by a survey of available resources (e.g., laboratory capabilities, health practices, and training and educational programs.) Using these assessments as a starting point, WHO/AFRO will: help these states to initiate AIDS surveillance; provide the laboratory support and training needed for epidemiological, clinical, and preventive activities; strengthen systems for diagnosing and managing AIDS and LAV/HTLV-III related diseases (including counselling of infected persons); and support health education efforts, (including health worker education, and analysis of blood transfusion and injection procedures). To assist WHO/AFRO in carrying out the above activities, a medical epidemiologist and a laboratory advisor will be assigned to the Regional Office for 15 and 9 months, respectively.