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For Immediate Release
October 4, 2002
Contact: Lori Williams
Baylor Receives Grant for International AIDS Work
Houston - Baylor College of Medicine's international AIDS program has received a $3.47 million grant from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to help train health professionals and build infrastructure for treatment programs in 25 countries.
"This represents a major expansion of our international activities," said Dr. Mark Kline, director of the Baylor International Pediatric AIDS Initiative. "We will be able to greatly enhance our efforts in training others across the world in preventing and treating AIDS."
With the five-year grant, Baylor will be able to assist the CDC by providing technical assistance to ministries of health and other organizations working on HIV/AIDS prevention and care and treatment programs in 25 countries in Africa, South America, Asia and the Caribbean.
The overall goal of the program is to reduce HIV transmission and to improve HIV/AIDS care and support in partnership with countries that have fewer resources.
The Baylor International Pediatric AIDS Initiative was established in 1996 to foster HIV/AIDS prevention, care and treatment, professional education and clinical research worldwide. The program now included projects in Romania, Mexico and 18 countries in Africa.
As part of the program, one of the world's largest pediatric HIV/AIDS care and treatment centers was established in Constanta, Romania and a large children's clinical center of excellence is under construction in Gaborone, Botswana. Baylor has trained HIV/AIDS health professionals in 18 countries in the past year.
With the grant, the Baylor team hopes to decrease sexually transmitted HIV infections, train health officials to develop prevention and care efforts, expand surveillance programs, decrease HIV infections transmitted from mother to child and increase access to improved HIV care and support.
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