PEPFAR and Preventing HIV Transmission: Evidence from Sub-Saharan Africa
Daniel Barkley, OpeyemiAdeniyi
Abstract
President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief or PEPFAR is the US Government’s global strategy for preventing
AIDS/HIV. PEPFAR’s main prevention program featured the controversial ABC strategy: Abstain, Be faithful,
and correct and consistent use of Condoms. This study uses the “difference-in-differences” (DID) estimator to
assess impact of ABC on slowing the spread of HIV in PEPFAR’s Sub-Saharan recipient countries. Applying DID
analysis to a panel of 40 African countries in 2001 and 2009, we found PEPFAR’s preventative measuresdid not
reduce adult HIV rates. These results call into question the effectiveness of ABC as a HIV preventative strategy in
Sub-Saharan Africa.
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