HHS Secretary Leavitt to visit HIV/AIDS projects in Cote d'Ivoire

HHS Secretary Mike Leavitt on Wednesday is scheduled to arrive in Cote d'Ivoire, where he will visit projects aimed at fighting HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases, AFP/Google.com reports.

Leavitt will spend two days in the country, which receives funding from the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. PEPFAR has allocated $120 million for Cote d'Ivoire's HIV/AIDS efforts from April 2008 to March 2009, according to the U.S. embassy in Abidjan. The $120 million represents a 43% increase in funding compared with the previous year, AFP/Google.com reports. According to the embassy, a second five-year HIV/AIDS project likely will be approved by the government this year (AFP/Google.com, 8/11).

CDC Director Julie Gerberding and coordinator of the President's Malaria Initiative Tim Ziemer are traveling with Leavitt, and they also will visit Ethiopia and Mali. The officials will meet with government representatives in the three countries; visit hospitals, research centers and clinics; and travel to rural communities. They also will meet with religious leaders and look at the role of faith-based organizations in health care (HHS release, 8/8).