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The US President’s Emergency Plan
for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and Roche Diagnostics have agreed to a five-year
partnership to strengthen laboratory services in the African countries most
affected by HIV/AIDS. The partners initiated this public-private effort to
address challenges faced by local health systems in sub-Saharan Africa, where
most of the world’s HIV-infected population lives. At present, only three
percent of the world’s healthcare workers live in sub-Saharan Africa.
PEPFAR directly supports 4.5 million
persons on antiretroviral treatment (ART) in low- and middle-income nations;
the United States plans to increase this coverage to 6 million persons by the
end of 2013. The goal of the Roche/PEPFAR effort is to build the capacity of
national and regional partners in Africa for diagnostic laboratory services.
“Fifty to 70 percent of clinical decisions depend on accurate laboratory
diagnosis,” stated Eric Goosby, MD, the US Global AIDS Coordinator.
The Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC), a worldwide leader in strengthening laboratory services, will
implement the PEPFAR end of this partnership. Steps will include the
development of certification programs for lab technicians and pre-service
curricula and the establishment of quality improvement for laboratory systems.
Roche Laboratories will supply training programs for the initiative. The United
States has committed $12 million over the five-year effort to promote country
ownership and sustainability for diagnostic lab services.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is
dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and
empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV
virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
