Clinton Foundation, Caribbean Community Sign Agreement to Increase HIV/AIDS Prevention and Treatment in Region
The William J. Clinton Presidential Foundation and the 15-nation Caribbean Community yesterday signed a memorandum of understanding committing the foundation to assisting the region in procuring cheaper antiretroviral drugs for its estimated 500,000 HIV-positive residents, Agence France-Presse reports. Under the agreement, the foundation will also "mobilize experts" to train doctors, nurses, counselors, behavioral therapists, microbiologists and pharmaceutical epidemiologists to help improve the levels of prevention, treatment and care in the region. "This is an urgent problem as there are hundreds of people dying every day," Ira Magaziner, coordinator of the foundation's HIV/AIDS initiative, said. An estimated $260 million to $350 million is needed annually to fight HIV/AIDS in the Caribbean, according to the University of the West Indies (Agence France-Presse, 8/23).
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