Researcher: HIV decreasing under PEPFAR in Africa

(AP) -- The president of the International AIDS Society says new research indicates the incidence of HIV is decreasing in African countries helped by George W. Bush's AIDS initiative.

Thousands of AIDS experts at an international AIDS conference cheered Sunday when Dr. Julio Montaner announced the result, saying it is from a yet-to-be published analysis of the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, called PEPFAR.

Bush's pet project is credited with saving millions of lives. It focused on the worst-hit African countries.

Montaner said: "My research team was able to document a decrease in HIV incidence among PEPFAR focus countries, when compared with non-focus countries, in Africa."

He gave no details and it was not immediately possible to get comment from other experts.

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