CDC also funds research on interventions to reduce HIVA

CDC also funds research on interventions to reduce HIVCDC also funds research on interventions to reduce HIV-related risk behaviors or their outcomes. For example, the Women and Infants Demonstration Projects were focused on low-income, inner-city sexually active women to measure injection drug use, sexual behaviors, and rates of HIV testing, as well as sexually transmitted diseases and pregnancy. The demonstration projects increased condom use and resulted in the RAPP intervention package, which is available, along with training and technical assistance, from CDC

CDC is actively involved in the promising area of microbicides -- creams or gels that can be applied vaginally before sexual contact to prevent HIV transmission. The development of a safe, easy-to-use microbicide would be a milestone in the worldwide fight against HIV/AIDS. CDC is supporting the search for an effective microbicide agent through several lines of research, including

• conducting laboratory and animal studies that can help evaluate the safety and the efficacy of microbicides before they are studied in humans.
• supporting clinical trials to assess the safety of microbicides in humans in the United States, Asia, and Africa. Current human clinical studies include a phase I safety trial of UC-781, which is being conducted among women in the United States and Thailand.

To reduce mother-to-child HIV transmission in the United States, CDC has distributed approximately $10 million annually since 1999 to several national organizations and a number of states with high HIV/AIDS rates. These funds support perinatal HIV prevention programs, enhanced surveillance for HIV-infected mothers and babies, education, and capacity building among health care providers and public health practitioners.