Physicians, scientists and laboratory workers from 18 African countries will hold talks with their US counterparts in Gaborone from Sunday to strengthen laboratory technique and practice in the fight against HIV/Aids.
The week-long meeting is part of the United States government efforts to fight HIV/Aids in Botswana, and will help form the basis for US President George Bush’s 14-nation emergency plan for Aids relief, the US embassy in Gaborone said in a statement on Thursday.
It is sponsored by the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention within the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
HHS director Dr Peter Kilmarx said the programmes that effectively dealt with Aids relied on accurate and readily available laboratory testing and diagnosis.
”This can only be supported by laboratories that are performing at the best possible level,” he said.
Participants will visit the US-funded Botswana-Harvard HIV Reference Laboratory in Gaborone, where research was conducted to help design an HIV vaccine manufactured in the US, which is now being tested in Botswana and the US.
Bush’s plan for Aids aims to prevent seven million new infections, treat two million people with anti-retrovirals and care for one million people infected and affected by HIV/Aids, including orphans. – Sapa