2006 Budget for prevention activities in Cote d'Ivoire: $7,546,024

Primary HIV prevention priorities include behavior change among children and youth to delay sexual debut and promote life skills with positive gender roles for in- and out-of-school youth; decreased cross-generational and coerced sexual relationships; the promotion of fidelity coupled with HIV testing within sexual partnerships; decreased hospital-related infection through expanded blood-safety and injection-safety programs; and risk reduction among high-risk populations such as youth, the uniformed services, truckers and commercial sex workers through reduction of the number of sexual partners, consistent use of condoms and increased access to HIV testing and care services.

Emergency Plan support will complement UN and Global Fund (GFATM) funds and assist the MOH to increase to more than 200 the number of health facilities providing integrated prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission (PMTCT) services, with linkages to other family-based care and treatment services (expanding coverage from 2% to 20% over two years).  The EP will support rural and the various faith-based communities to promote abstinence and fidelity and to sensitize against gender- and HIV-related discrimination within their communities through new grants awarded in September 2005 and expanded sub-grants targeting civil-society partners. A proposed jointly managed HHS-USAID award envisions a national umbrella organization to provide sub-grants and capacity building. Existing interventions targeting the various uniformed services, ex-combatants, sex workers and other vulnerable populations will be expanded to extend scope and geographic coverage. Secondary HIV prevention among HIV-infected individuals and sero-discordant couples and identification of HIV-infected and HIV-affected family members are also priorities and provide opportunities to link prevention, care and treatment services.