Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1991. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
San Francisco Chronicle (SF); Friday, August 30, 1991
Sabin Russell, Chronicle Staff Writer
Researchers at the Center for AIDS Prevention Studies at the University of California at San Francisco will be advising the international effort, which will assist countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean.
Family Health International, a 20-year-old nonprofit organization based in Research Triangle Park, N.C., was awarded the funds after running a similar program for the past five years with a $40 million federal grant.
Foundation president Dr. Theodore King said the funds will be used to encourage sexual behavior changes among populations hard hit by the human immunodeficiency virus, which leads to AIDS. According to World Health Organization statistics, an estimated 8 million to 10 million people are infected with HIV, and those numbers will swell to between 30 million and 40 million by the end of the decade.
The grant will be used to finance media campaigns to encourage people to reduce high-risk sexual behavior, a condom distribution program and a program to diagnose and treat sexually transmitted diseases, which greatly increase a person's susceptibility to HIV.
According to Dr. Thomas Coates, director of the UCSF center, the local program will receive about $3 million over five years to pay for its share of the work. Among its activities will be helping developing countries establish their own behavioral research programs. Scholars from those countries also will be trained at UCSF on methods of tracking the epidemic and conducting studies of behavior-changing techniques.
"We are trying to do in other countries what has already being done in U.S. cities," he said.
Copyright © 1991 - San Francisco Chronicle Press. All rights reserved. Reproduced with permission. Reproduction of this article (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through the San Francisco Chronicle, Permissions Desk, 901 Mission Street, San Franciso, CA 94103. You may also send a fax to (415) 495-3843, or an email message to chronperm@sfgate.com. http://www.sfgate.com.
AEGiS is a 501(c)3, not-for-profit, tax-exempt, educational corporation. AEGiS is made possible through unrestricted funding from Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, Elton John AIDS Foundation, the National Library of Medicine, Pacific Life Foundation and donations from users like you.
Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 1991. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.
AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.
Copyright ©1980, 1991. AEGiS. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content. .