U.S. Aims to Cut HIV Infections in Young Women

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Obama administration is announcing a $300 million program to drastically reduce HIV infections in girls and young woman in 10 sub-Saharan African nations hard hit by the virus.

Administration officials are aiming for a 25 percent infection reduction in females between ages 15-24 by the end of next year and a 40 percent reduction by the end of 2017.

The new targets mark the next phase for the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, known as PEPFAR. The program, started by President George W. Bush and expanded by President Barack Obama, is credited with saving millions of lives in Africa.

The administration is unveiling the new targets ahead of a U.N. summit on development goals that Obama is scheduled to address Sunday.

(Story by: Julie Pace, White House Correspondent, The Associated Press)