The ultimate aim is to have a Rotary International worldwide programme to prevent newly born children acquiring HIV/AIDS at the moment of birth, thus ensuring that they have the opportunity to live a full and healthy life. Rotary International will provide the medication. This is to succeed Polio-Plus in its methods, when Polio-Plus finally achieves its aims.

Plans in progress:

• The basis for this happening is now being set up in Uganda in a pilot scheme.
• The pilot which has run for more than six(6) months has shown that of the 100 babies born of 102 HIV positive women have not got the virus. This has been achieved using the Village health teams and outreach midwives in addition to improving awareness and providing information on HIV/AIDS. 2100 individuals of the village health teams have been trained and 56 members of the the ministry of health have also been trained in the outreach programme.
• Matching grant number 64998 was obtained to fund a pilot to provide data to Rotary International so that decisions can be made to proceed for full implementation. This will come from both Rotary and non Rotary sources.
• # The method used is based on an outreach method that has been tried and tested on a successful outreach palliative scheme set up by Dr Kibirige, which was presented as an effective template both at UNICEF and the international Conference on HIV/AIDS the Aids International Society in Bangkok in 2004.
• The eventual worldwide Rotary International programme will incorporate all of the features used in Polio-Plus with Rotary providing the drugs needed, working alongside governments and non governmental organisations (NGOs such as WHO and UNICEF) together with local Rotary contacts when the treatment is being applied. The contacts expertise and prestige from Polio-Plus is invaluable in this aspect of the work.
• Clubs, zones, districts and RIBI are being approached to ensure that the membership knows what is implied and what lies ahead.
• Organisations outside Rotary International to be involved - as is the case for Polio Plus - see above.

Although this is a Ugandan project now, it is NOT a scheme just for African countries - the scourge of HIV/AIDS is worldwide and on-going. The programme is a long term commitment but one which is vital to ensure that HIV/AIDS has a chance of being eliminated at its source while treating infected people and educating about preventative methods. There is another ABC in Ugandan HIV education: A is for Abstinence, B is for Be faithful and C is for Condoms