ETHIOPIA: Government to supply free anti-AIDS drugs

Nearly 200,000 HIV positive Ethiopians will receive free antiretroviral treatment over the next five years, Health Minister Kebede Tadesse has said.

The treatment programme is funded by a US $50 million grant under the President George W Bush’s President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), an initiative to help countries most affected by the epidemic.

Kadebe said US $5 million of the funds would be used to import Neverapine, which, if administered during the first 14 to 16 weeks after birth, reduces the risk of mother-to-child transmission of HIV/AIDS by up to 50 percent.

Theme (s): Care/Treatment - PlusNews, Other,

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