REMARKS BY:             TOMMY G. THOMPSON, SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

PLACE:                           The Opening of the HIV Clinic at the Port Bouet General Hospital, 

                                         Abidjan, Côte D'Ivoire, Africa

DATE:                            April 5, 2002

"U.S. Efforts to Help Prevent Mother-to-Child HIV Transmission"

Madam the Mayor, distinguished ministers, Dr. Ekpini, members of the press corps, ladies and gentlemen:

Thank you so very much for the warm reception. I am delighted to be here in Port Bouet and to have the opportunity to visit the general hospital.

When we began our mission to Africa last week, I already knew that HIV/AIDS presented one of this continent's greatest health challenges. What this visit has confirmed is the grave extent to which HIV/AIDS affects communities, families and, above all, children.

I have learned that in C"te d'Ivoire, one out of ten women carries the virus that causes AIDS. Every infected woman who is pregnant runs the risk of passing HIV onto her unborn child. This is haunting and deeply disturbing information.

We know what our priorities need to be in arresting the spread of HIV around the world. They include:

Dramatically reducing HIV transmission from mothers to infants;

Delaying sexual initiation, promoting abstinence, and providing people with the information they need to have in order to protect themselves;

Protecting the blood supply;

Reducing the incidence of sexually transmitted diseases; and

Diverting individuals from injection drug use into drug treatment programs.

The United States government, including my Department, is working closely with the government of C"te d'Ivoire to prevent the transmission of HIV from mothers to children. While the United States is committed to continuing its investment into research to better understand the epidemic - such as that which is being done by my Department through Project RETRO-CI - it is equally important that we do all we can to ensure that every woman in this country has access to the information and interventions that could prevent her children from being infected.

It is my sincere wish that this program in Port Bouet will be one of many in C"te d'Ivoire that will save the lives of thousands of babies and provide needed support and medical care to mothers and their families. I congratulate those of you who are dedicated to this fight and wish you all the best for success in your activities. It is a privilege to be here, and I thank you all for your fine work. I'm proud to serve in partnership with you.

###