By Julie Steenhuysen

CHICAGO, June 12 (Reuters) - Countries that take the lead in directing domestic efforts against HIV and AIDS seem to have the greatest success, global AIDS experts said on Tuesday.

"We get the best results in countries where the host government assumes the leadership for the response," said Dr. Tom Kenyon, chief deputy coordinator of the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief or PEPFAR, a U.S. effort to combat AIDS globally.

"We want to be led by the host country," he told reporters before a four-day meeting of AIDS experts later this month in Kigali, Rwanda.

Delegates will compare notes on the best ways to fight HIV and AIDS.

"We have made tremendous scientific advances over the years, but it is not until we implement them that we make a difference. And it is not until we implement them on a large scale that we have true public health impact," Kenyon told the briefing.

Experts said Rwanda stands out as a model for coordinating global relief efforts.

"They've taken ownership of the response," Kenyon said. "Where we have voids in that kind of leadership, we don't move as fast."

Doreen Mulenga, acting chief of HIV and AIDS for the United Nations Children's Fund, said significant progress has been made in several countries including Botswana, India, Rwanda and South Africa in scaling up HIV treatment for children.

She said efforts to integrate pediatric treatment into adult care settings is allowing more children to get care.

"A key barrier in many countries is not yet fully integrating treatment for children. This is really limiting access to treatment," she said.

The meeting, taking place June 16 to 19, will bring together 1,500 representatives from international relief organizations and governments.

President George W. Bush in 2003 launched PEPFAR, a five-year, $15 billion plan to provide drugs to people infected with the human immunodeficiency virus that causes AIDS and support prevention efforts. That commitment is set to end in September 2008.

Last month, Bush asked Congress to double the U.S. financial commitment to global AIDS fight and extend the program another five years.

More than 25 million people have died of AIDS since the incurable disease was first recognized in 1981. About 40 million people now live with human immunodeficiency virus, or HIV. Most are in sub-Saharan Africa, where the virus is spread primarily through heterosexual sex.

AlertNet news is provided by