10/30/2008

Contact: Robert Yule (Washington, D.C.)
202-448-8456
ryule@pedaids.org

Contact: Anja Giphart (Dar es Salaam, Tanzania)
anja@pedaids.org

Tanzanian President Inaugurates Facility Supported by Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation and U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Dar es Salaam, Tanzania—In support of Tanzania’s national initiative to scale up critical health services for people living with HIV/AIDS, representatives of the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation (EGPAF) and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) today attended the opening of an HIV care and treatment facility in Nzega District Hospital in the Tabora region in eastern Tanzania.

This new facility, which will bring hope and critical health services to the population of this region, is supported by EGPAF and the U.S. CDC, and was officially opened by His Excellency President Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete, the president of Tanzania.

“We are honored to have President Kikwete here to inaugurate this facility,” said Anja Giphart, the Foundation’s country director for Tanzania. “His presence underscores the national commitment to both prevent new infections and to bring treatment to those living with HIV in all areas of the country.”

Nzega district has the highest HIV prevalence among the six districts in Tabora region, with pregnant women being particularly vulnerable. To combat this trend, services for prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT) began in the district in September 2004 with Foundation support, and have expanded to 31 sites as of September 2008. Since the start of the program, 57,433 pregnant women have been tested in the district, and 3,118 were found to be HIV-positive. Of these women, 2,678 mothers and 846 infants received medicines to prevent HIV transmission.

HIV care and treatment services in the district were started in April 2005 with an initial enrollment of 300 patients, and Foundation support began in July 2006. By June 2008, 3,600 patients in the district were enrolled in care, and 1,138 were started on antiretroviral treatment.

According to projections, the number of new HIV infections in rural areas of Tanzania – where about three quarters of the country’s population lives – could be twice as high as in urban areas by 2010. This reinforces the need to ensure that sufficient resources for prevention, care, and treatment are dedicated to rural areas, and that the needs of women and children are addressed.

Globally, more than 1,000 children are infected with HIV every day, most from mother-to-child transmission. In Tanzania, there are an estimated 140,000 children living with HIV. Without treatment, half will die by their second birthday, underscoring the need to identify and reach HIV-positive children early, and ultimately to prevent mother-to-child-transmission of the virus.

The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation supports 740 PMTCT sites in five regions of Tanzania, and 140 care and treatment sites in four regions. In the past year, more than 240,000 pregnant women in Tanzania were counseled, tested, and received test results through Foundation-supported programs, and approximately 8,700 received antiretroviral medicine to prevent passing the virus to their babies. As of June 2008, the Foundation has enrolled more than 53,000 people in care and support programs, and about 25,000 people have initiated lifesaving antiretroviral treatment. More than 2,270 of those are children.

Through strong collaboration with the Tanzanian government and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and U.S. CDC through the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), the Foundation aims to increase access to critical prevention and treatment services throughout the country, particularly for women and children.

“By prioritizing women and children in the response to HIV/AIDS, we can achieve a generation free of HIV, and guarantee a more stable and secure future for entire societies,” said Giphart.

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About the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation
The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation is a worldwide leader in the fight against pediatric AIDS. The Foundation’s innovative research programs, collaborative training initiatives, advocacy efforts, and rapidly expanding international prevention and treatment programs are bringing hope to the lives of children and families affected by AIDS worldwide. To learn more about the Foundation and its programs, visit www.pedaids.org.