Global HIV/AIDS pandemic

Global HIV/AIDS pandemic

By Dr. Ali  Fourkan

A number of United States government agencies have come together in the common cause of turning the tide against the HIV/AIDS pandemic. They support a range of activities from research to technical assistance and financial support to other nationsto combat the global HIV/AIDS pandemic. These global activities are coordinated with PEPFAR.

Department of State

The U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator reports directly to the Secretary of State. At the direction of the Secretary, the Department of State's support for the Office of the Global AIDS Coordinator (OGAC) includes:

• Providing human resources services;
• Tracking budgets within its accounting system;
• Transferring funds to other implementing agencies; and
• Providing office space, communication, and information technology services.

Chiefs of Mission provide essential leadership to interagency HIV/AIDS teams and, along with other U.S. officials, engage in policy discussions with host-country leaders to generate additional attention and resources for the pandemic and ensure strong partner coordination.

Department of Health and Human Services

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has a long history of HIV/AIDS work within the United States and internationally. HHS is a partner in the unified U.S. Government effort to implement the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR). HHS implements prevention, treatment, and care programs in developing countries and conducts HIV/AIDS research through:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Global AIDS Program

CDC works with Ministries of Health and other public health partners, through the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, to combat HIV/AIDS by strengthening health systems and building sustainable, evidence-based HIV/AIDS programs in more than 75 countries in Africa, Asia, Central and South America, and the Caribbean. CDCs Global AIDS Program (GAP) has highly trained physicians, epidemiologists, public health advisors, behavioral scientists, and laboratory scientists working in countries around the world as part of U.S. government teams implementing the Emergency Plan. GAP is uniquely positioned to coordinate with CDC's other global health programs, such as global disease detection, public health training, and prevention and control of other infectious diseases such as malaria and tuberculosis, as well as with CDC's domestic HIV/AIDS prevention programs in the United States.

Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

FDA manages an expedited review process to ensure implementers can buy safe and effective antiretroviral drugs for the Emergency Plan at the lowest possible prices. This process has significantly reduced the cost of treatment by making the quality generic products available for registration and marketing in the 15 Emergency Plan focus countries. The result is that more patients receive treatment at a lower cost with high-quality antiretroviral drugs.

Health Resources and Services Administration Global HIV/AIDS Program

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) operates its Global HIV/AIDS Program through HRSA's HIV/AIDS Bureau. HRSA builds human capacity for scaling up care and treatment based on its more than 20 years of experience in providing quality, comprehensive HIV/AIDS care to underserved communities. HRSA's Global HIV/AIDS strategy focuses on health system strengthening and human resources for health. HRSA implements strategies through activities such as twinning, training and technical assistance, rapid roll-out of antiretroviral drugs, mentoring for nursing leadership, and enhancement of the continuum of palliative care.

National Institutes of Health (NIH)

NIH supports a comprehensive program of basic, clinical, and behavioral research on HIV infection and its associated opportunistic infections, co-infections, and malignancies. This research will lead to a better understanding of the basic biology of HIV/AIDS, the development of effective therapies to treat it, and the design of better interventions to prevent new infections, including vaccines and microbicides. NIH, through its 27 Institutes and Centers, including coordination and support from the Fogarty International Center, supports an international research and training portfolio that encompasses more than 90 countries, and it is the lead Federal agency for biomedical research on HIV/AIDS.

In addition, the National Library of Medicine, a component of the National Institutes of Health, is the world's largest medical library. The Library collects materials and provides information and research services in all areas of biomedicine and health care.

Office of Global Affairs

Located in the Office of the Secretary, the mission of the Office of Global Affairs is to promote the health of the worlds population by advancing the Secretarys and the Department of Health and Human Services global strategies and partnerships, thus serving the health of the people of the United States. OGHA coordinates all of the HHS agencies to be sure the Department's resources are working effectively and efficiently under the leadership of the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator.

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA)

SAMHSA works domestically through U.S. State and community programs to treat addiction and dependence, to prevent substance abuse, and to provide mental health services, including support of an educational and training center network that disseminates state-of-the-art information and best practices. HHS and PEPFAR country teams are applying this technical expertise and program experience to the program areas of drug and alcohol abuse in the Emergency Plan.

Department of Commerce

The DoC has provided and continues to provide in-kind support to PEPFAR, aimed at furthering private sector engagement by fostering public-private partnerships. The U.S. Census Bureau, within the DoC, is also an important partner in the Emergency Plan. Activities include assisting with data management and analysis, survey support, estimating infections averted, and supporting mapping of country-level activities.

Department of Defense

The Department of Defense (DoD) implements PEPFAR programs by supporting HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment, and care, strategic information, human capacity development, and program and policy development in host militaries and civilian communities of 73 countries around the world. These activities are accomplished through direct military-to-military assistance, support to nongovernmental organizations and universities, and collaboration with other U.S. Government agencies in country. Members of the defense forces in 13 PEPFAR focus countries have been the recipients of DoD military-specific HIV/AIDS prevention programs designed to address their unique risk factors, in addition to treatment and care programs for their personnel.

Department of Labor

The DoL implements Emergency Plan workplace-targeted projects that focus on prevention and reduction of HIV/AIDS-related stigma and discrimination. DoL has programs in over 23 countries and has received PEPFAR funding for projects in Guyana, Haiti, India, Nigeria, and Vietnam. As of March 2006, DoL programs that work with the International Labor Organization and the Academy for Educational Development have helped 415 enterprises adopt policies that promote worker retention and access to treatment. These programs have reached more than 2,500,000 workers now covered under protective HIV/AIDS workplace policies. DoL brings to all these endeavors its unique experience in building strategic alliances with employers, unions, and Ministries of Labor, which are often overlooked and difficult to target.

Peace Corps

The Peace Corps is heavily involved in the fight against HIV/AIDS, with programs in approximately 90 percent of its 67 posts, serving 73 countries throughout the world. In its global, biennial Peace Corps volunteer survey (fiscal year 2006), 55 percent of all volunteers report being involved in at least one HIV/AIDS activity (e.g., awareness, prevention, orphans, care, etc.) during their service - a significant increase over the 25 percent reported in fiscal year 2004. The Peace Corps implements Emergency Plan programs in nine of the 15 Emergency Plan focus countries - Botswana, Guyana, Kenya, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia. Peace Corps posts in these countries are using Emergency Plan resources to enhance their HIV/AIDS programming and in-country training; field additional Crisis Corps and Peace Corps volunteers specifically in support of Emergency Plan goals; and provide targeted support for community-initiated projects.

USAID

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is an independent Federal government agency that receives overall foreign policy guidance from the Secretary of State. USAID implements PEPFAR programs around the world. USAID takes a comprehensive and balanced approach to combating the HIV/AIDS pandemic and tailors programs, activities, and interventions appropriately for the country context. Since the inception of its HIV/AIDS program in 1986, USAID has been on the forefrontof the global AIDS crisis. USAID manages programs and provides expertise in several technical areas in order to advance the goal of creating an AIDS-free generation.

Implementing Agencies

Learn about all the U.S. government agencies that have come together in the common cause of turning the tide against the HIV/AIDS pandemic.