National Anti Retroviral Treatment (ART) Symposium

On Monday, November 6, 2006 in Addis Ababa, Ambassador Vicki J. Huddleston, U.S. Chargé d’Affaires along with Ethiopia’s Minister of Health Dr. Tewodros Adhanom opened a National Symposium on the Use and Management of Anti Retroviral Treatment.  The symposium brought together leaders in the fight against HIV/AIDS such as the staff of Regional Health Bureaus, clinicians, and NGO and public sector workers to look at ways of integrating treatment with prevention efforts and scaling up anti-retroviral treatment at all levels.  The ART Symposium was funded by The President’s Emergency Program for HIV/AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), and organized through Johns Hopkins University, who provides support for Anti-Retroviral Treatment in Addis Ababa.

In her opening remarks, Ambassador Huddleston urged participants to remember that while providing care and treatment for those living with HIV/AIDS is central, eradicating the scourge of HIV/AIDS in Ethiopia requires the prevention of new infections; and that prevention should continue to be the cornerstone of our joint HIV/AIDS efforts.  She also reminded those present that it is critical to give special emphasis to mothers and children, because data show that these groups continue to be under-served.  Lastly, she called on those present to continue their efforts to encourage HIV testing and to make HIV/AIDS counseling and testing should be made part and parcel of routine health care.  In Ethiopia, it is estimated that more than 80 percent of those who are HIV positive do not know they have been infected by the disease.  This is a very high percentage and raises the risks of spreading the disease further throughout the population.  The more people that are tested and know their status, the more the public can benefit from advances in medical care – anti-retroviral drugs - that can prolong their lives.