[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 143 (Wednesday, July 25, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 38708-38709]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-18463]


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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

[Program Announcement 01149]


Expansion of HIV/AIDS/STD Surveillance, Care, and Prevention 
Activities in the Republic of Zimbabwe; 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 
with the Republic of Zimbabwe Ministry of Health and Child Welfare 
(MOHCW) for the improvement and expansion of surveillance, care, and 
prevention activities targeting HIV/AIDS and HIV/AIDS-related 
conditions in Zimbabwe.
    The U.S. Government seeks to reduce the impact of HIV/AIDS and 
related conditions in specific countries within sub-Saharan Africa, 
Asia, and the Americas through its Leadership and Investment in 
Fighting an Epidemic (LIFE) initiative. Through this 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. Zimbabwe is one of these targeted countries.
    To carry out its activities in these countries, CDC is working in a 
collaborative manner with national governments and other agencies to 
develop programs of assistance to address the HIV/AIDS epidemic. CDC's 
program of technical assistance to Zimbabwe focuses on several areas, 
including strengthening surveillance and laboratory measures, scaling 
up promising prevention and care strategies, supporting behavior change 
communication projects, promoting technology transfer, and other 
capacity building efforts.
    Zimbabwe is experiencing one of the world's most severe AIDS crises 
that looms as a disaster of unprecedented proportions. Zimbabwe has one 
of the world's highest HIV prevalence rates among adults, and the 
proportion of children orphaned by AIDS is expected to reach 35 percent 
by 2010.
    Zimbabwe has taken many positive steps to address the AIDS 
epidemic. It was one of the first governments in the world to negotiate 
a large World Bank loan for AIDS prevention in 1992. The national 
response has generated many examples of creative programming and 
successful grassroots initiatives in the face of staggering adversity. 
In December 1999, the Government of Zimbabwe (GOZ) declared AIDS a 
national disaster, created a new ministerial-level, multi-sectoral 
National AIDS Council (NAC), announced a new National AIDS Policy and 
instituted an ``AIDS levy'' payroll tax to underwrite improved national 
AIDS prevention and care services.
    However, despite these and others interventions, the prevalence of 
HIV infection appears to have increased substantially in Zimbabwe from 
1997 to 2000, and the epidemic cannot yet be characterized as having 
stabilized. High prevalence rates among women 15-19 yrs of age suggests 
that recent infections continue to be high, including among youth. In 
addition, Zimbabwe is facing economic and political crises which 
compete for attention with and directly impact current responses to the 
AIDS epidemic.
    Surveillance needs to be strengthened and expanded to include 
behavioral surveillance (especially among youth), and extended to other 
population groups such as young men, both in and out of school. HIV, 
STI and TB prevention and care efforts, including public health 
laboratory services, need to be urgently strengthened as a top national 
priority, and a strengthened system established for monitoring and 
evaluating those efforts and tracking progress toward control and 
reversal of the epidemic.
    The purpose of this cooperative agreement is therefore to improve 
and expand HIV/AIDS surveillance, care, and prevention capacity and 
activities in Zimbabwe, which will be accomplished through cooperation 
between CDC and the MOHCW of Zimbabwe. These collaborative activities 
could profoundly impact the scope and intensity of the implementation 
of the National AIDS Policy. Cooperative efforts could lead to 
significant improvements in the collection of critical data to support 
future action, a better understanding of

[[Page 38709]]

the association between specific behaviors and HIV prevalence, improved 
and more responsive systems of care, and strengthened aspects of the 
public health infrastructure.

B. Eligible Applicants

    Assistance will be provided only to the MOHCW of GOZ. No other 
applications are solicited.
    The MOHCW is the only appropriate and qualified organization to 
fulfill the requirements set forth in this announcement because:
    1. The MOHCW is uniquely positioned, in terms of constitutional 
authority, mandate and ability to oversee and safeguard public health, 
and to collect and analyze information and disseminate surveillance and 
health system performance reports related to the prevalence and 
incidence of HIV/AIDS, HIV/AIDS-related conditions and other health 
issues.
    2. The MOHCW has in place the central, provincial and district-
based structures required to immediately engage in the activities 
listed in this announcement.
    3. The MOHCW is directly responsible for the implementation, 
monitoring and evaluation of population-based HIV/AIDS prevention and 
care policies and services.

C. Availability of Funds

    Approximately $300,000 is available in FY 2001 to fund this 
agreement. 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.

Direct Assistance

    Direct provision of equipment and supplies (e.g., vehicles, 
computer hardware/software, specific consumables & supplies) may be 
requested as direct assistance in lieu of a portion of this financial 
assistance.

Use of Funds

    Funds received from this announcement may not be used for the 
direct purchase of drugs for the treatment of active TB disease.

Antiretroviral Drugs

    Funds received from this announcement will not be used for the 
purchase of antiretroviral drugs for treatment of established HIV 
infection (with the exception of nevirapine in PMTCT cases and with 
prior written approval), 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).
    The costs that are generally allowable in grants to domestic 
organizations are likewise allowable to foreign institutions and 
international organizations, with the following exceptions:
    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.
    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.

Needle Exchange

    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.

D. Where To Obtain Additional Information

    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.''
    If you have questions after reviewing the contents of all the 
documents, business management technical assistance may be obtained 
from: Dorimar Rosado, Grants Management Specialist, Grants Management 
Branch, Procurement and Grants Office, Centers for Disease Control and 
Prevention, Room 3000, 2920 Brandywine Road, Atlanta, GA 30341-4146, 
Telephone: (770) 488-2782, E-mail: [email protected].
    For program technical assistance, contact: Michael St. Louis, MD, 
Global AIDS Program (GAP), Zimbabwe Country Team, National Center for 
HIV, STD, and TB Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 
(CDC), Zim-CDC AIDS Project Team 38 Samora Machel Avenue, 2nd Floor, 
Harare, Zimbabwe, Telephone: 263 4 796040, 796048, Fax: 263 4 796032, 
E-mail: [email protected].

    Dated: July 19, 2001.
John L. Williams,
Director, Procurement and Grants Office, Centers for Disease Control 
and Prevention (CDC).
[FR Doc. 01-18463 Filed 7-24-01; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4163-18-P