28 January 2008

Tanzanian Mother, Daughter To Be Guests at State of Union Speech

Both were helped by President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief

By Charles W. Corey
Staff Writer

Washington -- Among the distinguished guests who will be attending President Bush’s State of the Union address January 28 will be a mother and daughter from Tanzania.  Tatu Msangi and her 2-year-old daughter, Faith, will join first lady Laura Bush in her box at the historic speech.

Msangi, from Moshi, Tanzania, is HIV-positive, but thanks to local support from the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), she received prenatal treatment and delivered a healthy baby.  A 35-year-old registered nurse and single mother, she went to the antenatal clinic at Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Center when she learned she was pregnant.  There she enrolled in a program that helps pregnant HIV-positive women. Through the Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission (PMTCT) program, baby Faith received a dose of nevirapine after she was born.  Faith is now 2 years old, and HIV-free.

As part of her work at the Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Center, Msangi now counsels other HIV-positive women and encourages them to participate in the PMTCT program.  The Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Center is supported by the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, through the Elizabeth Glazer Pediatric AIDS Foundation.

Tatu and her daughter Faith are examples of the hope and compassion that is transforming lives with support from PEPFAR, and their attendance at the 2008 State of the Union message is a reminder of the progress that is possible in the fight against HIV/AIDS.  PEPFAR was announced by President Bush five years ago, in his 2003 State of the Union address, and is the largest commitment ever by any nation for an international health initiative dedicated to a single disease.

The State of the Union message is a tradition that dates back to 1790, when George Washington delivered his “Annual Message to Congress.”  The U.S. Constitution requires that the president report to Congress “from time to time” on “the State of the Union.”  President Bush’s January 28 State of the Union message, which will be his last, will outline his vision for the nation in the upcoming year.