[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 127 (Monday, July 2, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 34939-34941]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-16533]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[Program Announcement 01140]


Expansion of HIV/AIDS/STD Surveillance, Care, and Prevention 
Activities in the Republic of Uganda; Notice of Availability of Funds

A. Purpose

    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announces the 
availability of fiscal year (FY) 2001 funds for a cooperative agreement 
program for the expansion of HIV/AIDS/STD surveillance, care, and 
prevention activities in the Republic of Uganda.
    The purpose of this cooperative agreement is to improve HIV/AIDS

[[Page 34940]]

surveillance, care, and prevention capacity and activities in Uganda. 
This will be accomplished by cooperation between CDC and the Ministry 
of Health AIDS Control Program (MOH/ACP) of Uganda. These collaborative 
activities could profoundly change the focus and activities of the 
Ugandan National AIDS Policy. Most importantly, having a better 
understanding of the association between specific behaviors, STDs, and 
HIV prevalence will likely improve AIDS control programs and prevention 
efforts in Uganda and eventually throughout sub-Saharan Africa.
    The U.S. Government seeks to reduce the impact of HIV/AIDS in 
specific countries within sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, and the Americas 
through its Leadership and Investment in Fighting an Epidemic (LIFE) 
initiative. Through this LIFE program, CDC has initiated its Global 
AIDS Program (GAP) to strengthen capacity and expand activities in the 
areas of (1) HIV primary prevention; (2) HIV care, support, and 
treatment; and (3) capacity and infrastructure development, especially 
for surveillance. Targeted countries represent those with the most 
severe epidemics and the highest number of new infections. They also 
represent countries where the potential for impact is greatest and 
where U.S. government agencies are already active. Uganda is one of 
these targeted countries.
    As a key partner in the U.S. Government's LIFE initiative, CDC is 
working in a collaborative manner with national governments and other 
agencies to develop programs of assistance to address the HIV/AIDS 
epidemic in LIFE initiative countries. In particular, CDC's mission in 
Uganda is to work with Ugandan and international partners in 
discovering and applying effective interventions to prevent HIV 
infection and associated illness and death from AIDS.
    Uganda has been a global leader in the development of programs to 
combat the spread of HIV. Although Uganda was one of the first 
countries in the world to experience an AIDS epidemic, it was also one 
of the first to show a sustained decline in HIV/AIDS prevalence rates, 
due in part to a rapid national response. However, despite intensive 
interventions, incidence and prevalence rates of HIV infection are 
still unacceptably high in Uganda. It is estimated that about 1,500,000 
people (7-8 percent of the general population) in the country are 
living with HIV. These statistics suggest the need for the expansion 
and improvement of a range of surveillance, care, and prevention 
activities and services.
    Accurate surveillance is the mainstay of public health programs, 
providing essential information for focusing prevention activities, 
allocating resources, and monitoring effectiveness of programs. While 
Uganda has shown a decrease in HIV prevalence, questions remain as to 
which specific behavior changes are partly responsible for this 
decrease and how much of the reduction is due to a lessening of HIV/STD 
incidence versus mortality rates. Additionally, gaps in care and 
prevention activities are factors that must be addressed to reduce the 
epidemic's burdensome impact in Uganda. The prevention and control of 
HIV/AIDS in Uganda will continue to depend on the availability of 
accurate surveillance data and the continuation and expansion of basic 
care and prevention activities.

B. Eligible Applicants

    Assistance will be provided only to the AIDS Control Program (ACP) 
of the Uganda Ministry of Health (MOH). No other applications are 
solicited.
    The ACP is the only appropriate and qualified organization to 
conduct a specific set of activities supportive of the CDC Global AIDS 
Program's technical assistance to Uganda because:
    1. The ACP is uniquely positioned, in terms of legal authority, 
ability, and credibility among Ugandan citizens, to collect crucial 
data on HIV/AIDS prevalence and incidence, as well as other health 
information, among Ugandan citizens.
    2. The ACP already has established mechanisms to access health 
information, enabling it to immediately become engaged in the 
activities listed in this announcement.
    3. The purpose of the announcement is to build upon the existing 
framework of health information and activities that the MOH itself has 
collected or initiated.
    4. The Ministry of Health in Uganda has been mandated by the 
Ugandan constitution to coordinate and implement activities necessary 
for the control of epidemics, including HIV/AIDS and STDs.

C. Availability of Funds

    Approximately $700,000 is available in FY 2001 to fund this award. 
It is expected that the award will begin on or about September 30, 
2001, and will be made for a 12-month budget period within a project 
period of five years. Annual funding estimates may change.
    Continuation awards within the approved project period will be made 
on the basis of satisfactory progress as evidenced by required reports 
and the availability of funds.
    All requests for funds, including the budget contained in the 
application, shall be stated in U.S. dollars. Once an award is made, 
the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) will not compensate 
foreign grantees for currency exchange fluctuations through the 
issuance of supplemental awards.

Use of Funds

    Funds received under this announcement may not be used for the 
direct purchase of antiretroviral drugs to treat established HIV 
infection, occupational exposures, and non-occupational exposures and 
will not be used for the purchase of machines and reagents to conduct 
the necessary laboratory monitoring for patient care.
    Applicants may contract with other organizations under these 
cooperative agreements, however, applicants must perform a substantial 
portion of the activities (including program management and operations 
and delivery of prevention services for which funds are requested.
    No funds appropriated under this Act shall be used to carry out any 
program of distributing sterile needles or syringes for the hypodermic 
injection of any illegal drug.
    The costs that are generally allowable in grants to domestic 
organizations are likewise allowable to foreign institutions and 
international organizations, with the following exceptions:
    A. Alterations and Renovations: Unallowable.
    B. Customs and Import Duties: Unallowable. This includes consular 
fees, customs surtax, value added taxes, and other related charges.
    C. Indirect Costs: With the exception of the American University, 
Beirut, the Gorgas Memorial Institute, and the World Health 
Organization, indirect costs will not be paid (either directly or 
through a sub-award) to organizations located outside the territorial 
limits of the United States or to international organizations 
regardless of their location.

D. Submission and Deadline

    Submit the original and two copies of PHS 5161-1 (OMB Number 0920-
0428). Forms are available in the application kit and at the following 
Internet address: www.cdc.gov/od/pgo/forminfo.htm.
    On or before July 25, 2001, submit an electronic or hard copy of 
the application to the Grants Management Specialist identified in the 
``Where to Obtain Additional Information'' section of this 
announcement. If you choose to

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submit your application electronically, you should submit hard copies 
of your application on or before August 9, 2001.
    Deadline: Applications shall be considered as meeting the deadline 
if they are either:
    1. Received on or before the deadline date; or
    2. Sent on or before the deadline date and received in time for 
submission to the independent review group.
    Late Applications: Applications which do not meet the criteria 1. 
or 2. above will be returned to the applicant.

E. Where To Obtain Additional Information

    Forms are available in the application kit and at the following 
Internet address: www.cdc.gov/od/pgo/forminfo.htm
    This and other CDC announcements can be found on the CDC home page 
Internet address--http://www.cdc.gov. Click on ``Funding'' then 
``Grants and Cooperative Agreements.'' To obtain business management 
technical assistance, contact: Dorimar Rosado, Grants Management 
Specialists, Grants Management Branch, Procurement and Grants Office, 
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2920 Brandywine Road, Room 
3000, Atlanta, GA 30341-4146, Telephone number: (770) 488-2782, Email: 
[email protected].
    For program technical assistance, contact: Jonathan Mermin, MD, 
MPH, Global AIDS Program (GAP), Uganda Country Team, National Center 
for HIV, STD, and TB Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention (CDC), P.O. Box 49, Entebbe, Uganda, Telephone: 41-32-0776, 
Email: [email protected].

    Dated: June 26, 2001.
John L. Williams,
Director, Procurement and Grants Office, Centers for Disease Control 
and Prevention (CDC).
[FR Doc. 01-16533 Filed 6-29-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P