Demanding effectiveness

Total operates in a number of the world’s regions where health care systems lack organization, skills and resources. That is why we are taking part in initiatives to improve the health of employees and their families and are extending our programs to local communities, especially in the areas of HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.

In the field, most of our subsidiaries are involved in health-related prevention, information and education campaigns. Always carried out with the approval of the country’s authorities, our initiatives focus on the most vulnerable, exposed populations. They rely on the assistance of various institutions and the expertise of local and international NGOs.

Sharing and disseminating high-level expertise with Institut Pasteur

Since 2005, Total and Institut Pasteur’s international network have steadily stepped up their joint efforts to spur research, train more health care professionals in non-OECD countries and develop local capabilities for fighting sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and other diseases. Below are a few examples of projects launched or expanded in 2008.

Madagascar

Children under five accounted for more than half of all cases of illnesses causing diarrhea reported in 2004. At the end of a research phase to develop a test for fast identification of the type of virus or bacteria implicated, Total and the local Institut Pasteur will set up a pediatric unit and a bacteriology laboratory in the Moramanga region to improve the children’s care, train local personnel to identify illnesses and teach mothers appropriate hygiene.

Morocco

7,000 long-distance truckers were educated about HIV/ AIDS, along with sex industry workers with whom they might have contact. The campaign included HIV/AIDS screening, STI counseling and the distribution of condoms and informational material. Conducted by Association Marocaine de Lutte contre le Sida (ALCS – Moroccan AIDS Service Organization) in partnership with Total and Institut Pasteur in Morocco and Paris, the campaign is supported by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. A number of studies have shown a high prevalence of the epidemic along major road routes in Africa and Asia.

Cameroon

An agreement signed in November is expected to kick off a program to support HIV-positive babies and their families. Its goals are to deliver appropriate treatment, provide accommodation in hospitals for their parents, and prepare the children for a normal life in the future.

China

Preventing and treating hepatitis B and C, two diseases that are very widespread yet often a taboo subject, is a priority. Total has partnered with the China Foundation for Hepatitis Prevention and Control and also with Institut Pasteur in Shanghai and the Chinese Academy of Sciences to focus on prevention programs, research and training for medical personnel.

Fighting Pandemics

Strategy to combat HIV/AIDS

We apply a Group-wide policy to combat HIV/AIDS, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. In 2006, we reaffirmed our commitment on World AIDS Day by signing a leadership statement on European Business and AIDS drafted by the Global Business Coalition on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, which Total and more than 220 companies worldwide support.

The cornerstones of our HIV/AIDS strategy are education, prevention, voluntary, confidential testing, and treatment for employees and their families.

Fighting malaria

With operations in many areas where the disease is endemic, Total teamed up with Compagnie Française de l’Afrique Occidentale (CFAO), sanofi-aventis and Sanisphère in 2006 to produce a practical guidebook to malaria control to help companies implement prevention programs. Its content has been approved by the Development Research Institute (IRD). The 45 stand-alone sheets cover various aspects of the disease from diagnosis to assessment. Originally available in English and French, the guidebook was published in Spanish in early 2008.