Africa: Bush Says 'ABC' Aids Policy Works

21 February 2008
allAfrica.com

President George W. Bush has defended his administration's policies on preventing HIV/AIDS, saying it would be reviewed only if it was not working.

At a news conference in Accra on Wednesday, a journalist told Bush that his emphasis on abstaining from sex or being faithful to a single partner "doesn't really strike a chord" in Africa because of "multiple sexual... or partner relationships."

Replying, Bush said while the first and second parts of the administration's program stressed abstinence and fidelity, "I just want to remind you, there's a third part called condoms."

The policy was working, he said. "Uganda, for example, was the first country to really put the ABC strategy in place, and the results are measurable.

"All I'm interested in is results. I'm wise enough to set the strategy and change the tactics if they're not working... But thus far I can report, at least to our citizens, that the program has been unbelievably effective."

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