Back from Africa, Vermont Governor Speaks on AIDS Education, Travel Expenses

Vermont Gov. Howard Dean on Monday said the United States needs to catch up with other countries in the way its public health officials fight to prevent AIDS. "In Africa they're probably ahead of us in terms of public health education on AIDS," said Dean, who traveled to Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, for the five-day international conference on AIDS.

Dean said, Africans have "frank and open discussions on the streets about condom use, sexual matters, which I think most Americans would blanch at discussing even in their living rooms, let alone on the street." A similar approach in the United States would help curtail the spread of the fatal disease, he said. Dean said about 200 people are living with HIV in Vermont, and another 200 have AIDS. He said he plans to meet with officials fighting HIV/AIDS in the United States to see what is being done. "I think there are some things that Americans can learn from this," he said of his trip. "It was an eye-opening experience." Last year, Africa reported 2.3 million deaths and 3.4 million new infections.

Also at his news conference, Dean, who is considering a run for the White House, discussed public campaign funding and the cost to state taxpayers of his visits to six US cities in the past seven months.

Back to other CDC news for December 18, 2001

Previous Updates