AFRO-NETS> AIDS Center to be Created in Ethiopia by JHU/CCP

[Cecilia Snyder <csnyder@ccmc.org>]

AIDS Center to be Created in Ethiopia by JHU/CCP
------------------------------------------------

November 15, 2001

AIDS Resource Center to be Created in Ethiopia by Johns Hopkins Cen-
ter for Communication Programs with CDC Support; Great Need in Ethio-
pia for Up-To-Date Information on HIV/AIDS

BALTIMORE - A new resource center with accurate and up-to-date infor-
mation on HIV/AIDS will be established by The Johns Hopkins Univer-
sity Center for Communication Programs (JHU/CCP) in Ethiopia, a coun-
try that has one of the world's highest HIV prevalence rates. The new 
center is made possible through a US$ 300,000 cooperative agreement 
between JHU/CCP and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 
(CDC). 

CDC is responsible for HIV/AIDS prevention in the United States and 
also assists other countries in developing, implementing and evaluat-
ing HIV/AIDS prevention, care and treatment programs. CDC directs the 
National Prevention Information Network (NPIN), a national clearing-
house for HIV/AIDS information.

The Ethiopia AIDS Resource Center-to be centrally located in the 
capital city of Addis Ababa-will provide journalists, healthcare 
workers, government officials and HIV/AIDS organizations with the 
latest information and materials on HIV/AIDS, other sexually trans-
mitted diseases and tuberculosis. The center plans to include print 
and web-based resources, and support a local AIDS telephone hotline 
that provides HIV/AIDS information and counseling services.

"Ethiopia has been devastated by the HIV/AIDS epidemic and there's a 
crying need for accurate and accessible information," said Tadesse 
Wuhib, MD, MPH, Director for CDC-Ethiopia. "Right now, there's a se-
verely limited supply of quality materials and current knowledge 
available for those trying to stop this disease." 

According to the CDC, Ethiopia has just one percent of the world's 
population, but nine percent of the worldwide cases of HIV/AIDS. The 
disease has orphaned more than 700,000 Ethiopian children and more 
than a million people have died due to AIDS. 

In addition to housing a clearinghouse of already available HIV/AIDS 
prevention materials, the new resource center will develop new high-
quality print and audiovisual materials specifically for Ethiopia. 
The center will also provide training and source material for Ethio-
pian journalists to enhance their reporting on the epidemic. 

"Our goal is for this center to serve as a hub for everyone working 
in Ethiopia to fight HIV/AIDS," said Wuhib. "Through this center, we 
hope to network, coordinate and collaborate with each other to im-
prove and expand our various activities."

For example, the decision on where to house the new resource center 
will be made after consulting with government officials and other 
HIV/AIDS organizations. 

JHU/CCP is a pioneer in the field of strategic, research-based 
communication for behavior change and health promotion that has 
helped transform the theory and practice of public health 
communications. With representatives in more than 30 countries, 
JHU/CCP has been a leader in the development of projects based on 
systematic needs assessments and clear strategies for positioning and 
presenting the benefits of health interventions to appropriate 
audiences. 

To find out more about JHU/CCP, go to:
http://www.jhuccp.org

or contact: 

Kim Martin 
Chief, Media Relations and Advocacy Center for Communication Programs
Johns Hopkins University 
111 Market Place 
Baltimore, Maryland 21202, USA
Tel: +1-410-659-6140
Fax: +1-410-659-6266
mailto:KMARTIN@jhuccp.org

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