U.S. Agency for International Development responds to AIDS

Agency for International Development (USAID) since 1986 has been a world leader in the global response to AIDS and HIV. It has committed more than $400 million to HIV/AIDS prevention activities through bilateral programs and contributions to multilateral World Health Organization (WHO) Global Program on AIDS (GPA) efforts. In so doing, USAID has gained much experience and insight into the nature and evolution of the pandemic and the relative effectiveness of prevention interventions. PRevention remains the heart of the agency"s policy toward programs against AIDS. Specifically, programs designed to reduce the sexual transmission of HIV may promote safer sex behavior; increase condom availability and use; and/or improve the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of sexually transmitted diseases. USAID AIDS/HIV prevention activities involving the WHO/GPA, UNICEF, the AIDS Control and Prevention Project, the Center for Disease Control, the Peace Corps, the International Planned Parenthood Federation, MotherCare, the International Center for Research on Women, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, the STD Diagnostics Initiative, the Population Council, the US Bureau of Census, the National Council for International Health, the HIV/AIDS NGO Support Programme, and condom supply and logistics are briefly reviewed. The report also chronicles USAID involvement in AIDS and lists primary organizations involved in USAID"s HIV/AIDS prevention efforts. (POPLINE abstract)