Public Health

(Archive)

Tuberculosis and HIV infection rates are exceptionally high in parts of northwest Russia and the Baltic states. Under NEI, disease experts from the U.S., international health organizations, and the Nordic countries are engaged in a wide range of activities to combat these diseases. Working together with UNAIDS and the governments in the region, the U.S. helped launch a regional HIV/AIDS strategy in 2000 to guide all international treatment efforts in the region. The strategy is now being implemented in cooperation with the Baltic Sea States Task Force on Infectious Diseases. In March 2000, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) opened a Center of Excellence for Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis in Latvia, which is co-funded by Sweden, and Latvia. The Center serves as a magnet research, treatment, and training center for the entire region. In the public health area, too, the U.S. embassy in Copenhagen serves as a hub for activities throughout the NEI region.