January 26, 2012
Michigan State University health officials hope the univerisity's Institute of International Health will boost HIV prevention efforts on Hispaniola, home of Haiti and the Dominican Republic. The island accounts for about 75 percent of AIDS cases in the Caribbean, and IIH Director Reza Nassiri said the two nations "have struggled to respond to the epidemic of HIV/AIDS based upon the resources available to them." MSU's approach will include training and mentoring nurses, social workers, and other health professionals, Nassiri said, adding that the IIH plan will be presented at the Global Risk Forum's One Health Summit 2012, to be held in Davos, Switzerland, Feb. 19-22.