In a speech before the Ghanaian Parliament, President Obama on Saturday reiterated U.S. support for public health programs that will reduce maternal mortality and the spread of HIV/AIDS in Africa, the nytimes.com/2009/07/12/world/africa/12prexy.html?scp=3&sq=ghana&st=cse” target=_new>New York Times reports. The speech, which was televised across the continent, focused on international relations with Africa and empowering African nations to address problems (Baker, New York Times, 7/12).

In a portion of the speech about strengthening public health, Obama said that there has been “enormous progress … in parts of Africa” in recent years. He continued, “Far more people are living productively with HIV/AIDS, and getting the drugs they need. But too many still die from diseases that shouldn’t kill them.” He added, “When children are being killed because of a mosquito bite, and mothers are dying in childbirth, then we know that more progress must be made.” Obama said that “incentives often provided by donor nations” often compel doctors and nurses to “go overseas, or work for programs that focus on a single disease,” which “creates gaps in primary care and basic prevention.” He also said that Africans must “make responsible choices that prevent the spread of disease, while promoting public health in their communities and countries.”

Obama noted that the U.S. has committed $63 billion “to meet these challenges.” He added that the U.S. will not “confront illnesses in isolation” but instead “invest in public health systems that promote wellness and focus on the health of mothers and children” (AP/USA Today, 7/11). Obama also visited a women’s clinic to highlight U.S-backed programs to fight infant and maternal mortality (New York Times, 7/12).

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A pilot needle exchange program in Camden, N.J., - one of four in the state - “was off to a slow start” when it began 18 months ago, but “now, 976 drug users have registered with the program - more people than those at the other pilot sites in Atlantic City, Newark or Paterson,” the Cherry Hill Courier-Post reports. “In Camden, 854 people are living with HIV/AIDS, the eighth-highest number among New Jersey municipalities, according to the latest data from the state Department of Health and Senior Services. About a third of them were infected by dirty needles,” the Courier-Post reports. Bob Baxter, who oversees Newark’s program, said needle exchanges provide “the most immediate benefit at the cheapest cost,” in reducing the spread of blood-borne diseases. “While there’s no way to count the number of people who are no longer sharing needles because of the program, organizers say they hope to see their success correlate to lowered communicable disease rates,” the article states (Hirsch, 7/20).

This information was reprinted from dailyreports.kff.org with kind permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily U.S. HIV/AIDS Report, search the archives and sign up for email delivery at dailyreports.kff.org.

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Speaking at the 5th International AIDS Society (IAS) Conference on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention on Monday, U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator Eric Goosby outlined President Obama’s global AIDS policy agenda, Plus News/IRIN reports. The news service writes, “Goosby began by reassuring delegates - many of whom are implementers of programmes funded by … PEPFAR … — that fighting AIDS would remain a central component of Obama’s foreign policy. However, there would be a renewed focus on other priorities such as maternal and child health, and tropical diseases.”

Goosby noted, “Each government ultimately holds responsibility for the health of its citizens,” and that U.S. policies would seek to support country programs and encourage more national government buy-in and leadership. “The end goal is for each country to control its responses both strategically and, eventually, financially,” he said. “Goosby also made it clear that scientific evidence rather than moral concerns would drive intensified efforts to reach high-risk groups - men who have sex with men, injecting drug users and sex workers - with HIV prevention and care,” Plus News/IRIN writes.

“The economic crisis has made countries look at what they can and can’t afford with a new lens,” he said. “We are trying to maximize our ability to ensure that everyone who is on ARVs [antiretrovirals] stays on them, and that we expand access to those who are not yet on them.”

National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Director Anthony Fauci “told delegates that a bill to lift the ban on funding needle exchange programmes was working its way through Congress, and restrictions on HIV-infected people entering the U.S. were also almost certain to be lifted in the near future.” Facui added, “With regard to science and policy, we will stay on the right path” (7/20).

This information was reprinted from globalhealth.kff.org with kind permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Global Health Policy Report, search the archives and sign up for email delivery at globalhealth.kff.org.

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