U.S. AND INDIA PLEDGE NEW EFFORTS TO COOPERATE
IN HIV/AIDS AND MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH RESEARCH

HHS Secretary Donna E. Shalala and Indian Minister of Health and Family Welfare Chandreshwar Prasad Thakur today signed two joint statements pledging to stimulate new cooperative efforts in the fields of HIV/AIDS prevention research and maternal and child health research. These two statements demonstrate the commitment of both countries to combat the epidemic of HIV/AIDS and to improve the health and well-being of women, children and adolescents through the expansion of cooperative biomedical and behavioral research. These statements are key elements in the broader effort by both the United States and India to use science to reduce global health disparities.

"These joint statements on HIV/AIDS prevention research and maternal and child health research will help both countries develop new methods and programs that will improve the health of men, women and children around the world," said Secretary Shalala. "When President Clinton addressed the Indian parliament in March, he spoke about AIDS and promised America's partnership in the continuing struggle. The work we undertake today is a further step in meeting that commitment."

"It is indeed a momentous occasion that the governments of India and the United States are coming together in this collarborative venture in the areas of immediate public health concern in our countries," said Minister Thakur. "I am confident that these agreements will go a long way in strengthening the friendly ties between our governments and the people of both of our countries."

Over the past 40 years, scientists from both countries have collaborated on basic and applied biomedical and behavioral research. One highly successful program has been the Indo-U.S. Vaccine Action Program, which has supported crucial and ground-breaking vaccine research to address some of the world's deadliest diseases. Through this program, scientists and government officials have come together on a regular basis to consider research proposals of mutual benefit to both countries. This program, now in its 13th year, serves as the model for cooperation in both the AIDS and maternal and child health areas.

By taking advantage of improved technologies, skilled and enthusiastic scientific communities, greater communications and a shared commitment to work together, India and the United States hope to make considerable contributions to the global effort to improve public health in the following areas:

- HIV/AIDS: Through this cooperative effort, researchers from both countries pledge continuing progress toward the prevention and control of HIV and other infectious diseases through improved surveillance, prevention research, vaccine research and development, technology transfer, and health services research. Scientists from both the United States and India plan to initiate or expand a range of AIDS prevention research efforts, including development and testing of a variety of strategies. This collaboration will lead to a strengthening in both countries of the capability to design and implement AIDS prevention efforts.

- Maternal and Child Health: The health of women, children and adolescents has improved significantly over the years in both the United States and India. Nonetheless, both countries recognize that maternal, neonatal, infant and pediatric mortality and morbidity rates remain unacceptably high and that important research questions remain before additional reductions in morbidity and mortality can be achieved. Initially, it is hoped that joint efforts will focus on nutrition research and the prevention of HIV transmission from mothers to their children. By recognizing the advantages of effective scientific and technological collaboration, the governments intend to expand current efforts to work together on maternal and child health research to improve the health status and well-being of the people of both countries.

Under these joint statements, the participating Indian institutions include the National AIDS Control Organization, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), and other Indian agencies, academic institutions, research facilities, and non-governmental organizations. In the United States, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), including the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development; the National Institute of Mental Health; the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases; the National Institute on Drug Abuse; the Fogarty International Center; and other agencies of the U.S. Government, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Agency for International Development will participate.

The nodal or implementing agencies, for both of the joint statements, are the NIH in the United States and the ICMR in India. The ICMR is an autonomous body funded by the Indian Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, based in New Delhi, India, with institutes throughout India. Both the NIH and the ICMR are the primary funders of biomedical research in their respective countries and support a wide variety of biomedical and behavioral research activities. The NIH and ICMR have agreed to consult on a regular basis to consider and facilitate proposals for cooperation. They also will provide technical advice to each other's scientists and government officials.

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