For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
June 20, 2003

Fact Sheet
U.S. - Brazil Joint Venture on HIV/AIDS in Lusophone Africa

President Bush and Brazilian President Luiz Incio Lula da Silva agreed to launch joint activities to improve HIV/AIDS treatment, care, and prevention in Lusophone (Portuguese-speaking) Africa.

President Bush stressed that the program will take advantage of Brazil's expertise in creating a national program for HIV/AIDS prevention, care, and treatment (including an advanced program to prevent mother-to-child HIV transmission), and benefit from the cultural and linguistic advantages that Brazil brings to programs in Lusophone Africa. Activities will initially take place in Mozambique, and will later expand to Angola.

Brazilian and American experts will work with their colleagues in Lusophone Africa in the following areas to support HIV/AIDS prevention, care, and treatment programs:

• Improving laboratory capacity; Training of medical personnel, including finalizing, field-testing and evaluation of Portuguese-language training materials and curricula;
• Introducing and integrating rapid HIV testing in antenatal and delivery services;
• Supporting the introduction of anti-retroviral therapy; Expanding voluntary counseling and testing; Promoting research, including capacity-building for care and treatment of HIV;
• Boosting effective disease surveillance, monitoring, and evaluation for accountability; and
• Increasing local research capacity.

Much of the work will be carried out through innovative "triangular twinning," or linkages between clinical and training institutions in the United States, Brazil, and Lusophone Africa to build capacity for health care and health research.

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