The U.S. Ambassador to Ethiopia, Aurelia E. Brazeal, and the U.S. CDC's country director, Dr. Tadesse Wuhib, on Monday donated HIV surveillance equipment and supplies worth 5,636,339 birr (US$682,434) to Dr. Demissie Tadesse, Ethiopia's vice minister of health. The equipment and supplies include deep freezers, refrigerators, washers, readers, HIV testing machines and kits and other lab equipment. Ethiopia's 2003 surveillance plan calls for the expansion of surveillance sites from 34 to 63, with an additional 65 satellite sites in rural areas and one satellite site in an urban area. CDC has been assisting the ministry of health with various activities to improve the quality of data collected, including revising guidelines, developing training manuals, and conducting training for national and regional personnel. One of the goals of a memorandum of understanding signed by CDC and the ministry of health is to increase the quality of national HIV surveillance data.

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