Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Visits Ethiopia to Assess Spread of HIV/AIDS

Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Health and Science Jack Chow on Wednesday visited Ethiopia to assess efforts to combat the spread of HIV/AIDS in the country, one of the "hardest hit" in Africa, Agence France-Presse reports. Chow and Robert Blair, the State Department's adviser for international health, visited with Ethiopian officials to discuss a report recently released by the National Intelligence Council (Agence France-Presse, 11/13). According to the report, five countries -- India, China, Russia, Nigeria and Ethiopia -- which are all considered "strategically important" to the United States, could account for an estimated 50 million to 75 million HIV cases alone by 2010 (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 10/1). Chow and Blair were also scheduled to visit a voluntary HIV/AIDS testing facility and meet with church leaders, officials of the national AIDS council, members of the Chamber of Commerce and representatives of nongovernmental organizations. Chow's trip is part of a tour of African countries to assess mother-to-child HIV transmission, private sector initiatives to fight the spread of the disease and local policies on the distribution of antiretroviral drugs. In addition to Ethiopia, Chow has visited Namibia, South Africa, Uganda and Kenya (Agence France-Presse, 11/13).