Former Clinton Official Concludes Visit to Caribbean to Examine Region’s Anti-AIDS Efforts
Margaret Williams, chief of staff for former President Bill Clinton, recently concluded a two-day visit to St. Kitts and Nevis in which she met with officials to discuss anti-AIDS efforts in the Caribbean, the Associated Press reports. Williams said she made the journey in order to discover how Caribbean nations are fighting HIV/AIDS and how the William J. Clinton Presidential Foundation could help further these efforts "without duplicating" them. The foundation aims to "initiate research, dialogue and action," according to its Web site. Williams said that Clinton "has influence that could aid in focusing efforts" to fight HIV/AIDS in the Caribbean and could be "a public voice" for the region (Associated Press, 8/1). Last month, 15 Caribbean nations reached a deal with six pharmaceutical companies that will allow the countries to purchase AIDS drugs at "steep discounts." Bristol-Myers Squibb Co., Merck & Co., Abbott Laboratories, GlaxoSmithKline, Hoffman-LaRoche and Boehringer Ingelheim agreed to allow the countries to negotiate as a group for drug discounts of up to 90% (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 7/8). The Caribbean has the second-highest HIV prevalence rate after sub-Saharan Africa; approximately 2% of the people in the region are HIV-positive (Associated Press, 8/1).
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