Dr Gerberding Donated Autoclaves to Ethiopia
Centers for Disease Control (CDC) opened its office in Ethiopia in 2001 with the view to responding to HIV/Aids pandemic in the country. Dr Julie Gerberding, the director of CDC, addressing the press conference on Monday at the Hilton Hotel said that the United States had allocated 43 million dollars to Ethiopia in 2004 in support of the national effort to fight the HIV pandemic in the country.
This support program includes fourteen other countries to benefit from U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. The director highlighted the commitment of the U.S. government to assist Ethiopia in its effort to fight the HIV/Aids pandemic in the country.
Gerberding signed a project agreement worth 1.6 million birr in support of HIV/Aids voluntary counseling and testing services throughout Addis Ababa, during her official visit in Ethiopia. The initial phase was to establish four-satellite VCT centers at different parts of Addis Ababa along with a new mobile VCT service.
Dr. Gerberding also donated laboratory equipment, which includes a DNA analyzer, autoclaves, incubator, microscope, Elisa reader and computers and supplies worth 6 million birr to the Ethiopian Health and Nutrition Research Institute (EHNRI).
It is believed that the equipment will support the rollout of the national Anti-Retroviral drug treatment Program that the drug Ministry of Health, HIV/Aids prevention and Control Office, and Drug administration and control Authority have proposed in partnership with U.S. agencies.
To ensure proper help in supporting the national blood transfusion service and to establish eight new blood banks in the country, the Director donated 21.5 million birr to the Ministry of Health and 2.8 million birr to the World Health Organization (WHO), last Tuesday.
She said the effort should be made to assist voluntary testing for HIV/AIDS in the country by emphasizing the need for high political figures in the country to undergo HIV test.
Gerberding met government officials, including the Prime Minister, and discussed health issues and bilateral cooperation of the two countries with them.
Taddesse Wuhib, country director of CDC-Ethiopia, said on his part that HIV infection in Ethiopia was declining. He said the effort being made by different stakeholders to combat HIV transmission in the country was encouraging.