ARTICLE 8 HEALTH PROMOTION AND EDUCATION States Parties shall a) co-ordinate efforts to prevent diseases and promote well-being; and b) formulate and implement appropriate policies with respect to (i) mechanisms to co-ordinate regional health promotion and education; (ii) appropriate guidelines and material for health promotion and education; and (iii) guidelines on healthy lifestyle and reduction of substance abuse. ARTICLE 9 COMMUNICABLE DISEASE CONTROL 1. States Parties shall co-operate to harmonise, and where appropriate, standardise policies in the areas of a) case definitions for diseases; b) notification systems; and c) treatment and management of major communicable diseases. 2. States Parties shall co-operate in the establishment of regional reference laboratories and in sharing technical expertise in order to ensure high immunisation rates to reduce, eliminate, and where possible eradicate communicable diseases. 3. States Parties shall share information related to outbreaks and epidemics of communicable diseases within the Region and work together in epidemic control and management. --ARTICLE 10 HIV/AIDS AND SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED DISEASES 1. In order to deal effectively with the HIV/AIDS/STDs epidemic in the Region and the interaction of HIV/AIDS/STDs with other diseases, States Parties shall a) harmonise policies aimed at disease prevention and control, including co-operation and identification of mechanisms to reduce the transmission of STDs and HIV infection; b) develop approaches for the prevention and management of HIV/AID/STDs to be implemented in a coherent, comparable, harmonised and standardised manner; c) develop regional policies and plans that recognise the intersectoral impact of HIV/AIDS/STDs and the need for an intersectoral approach to these diseases; and d) co-operate in the areas of (i) standardisation of HIV/AIDS/STDs surveillance systems in order to facilitate collation of information which has a regional impact; (ii) regional advocacy efforts to increase commitment to the expanded response to HIV/AIDS/STDs; and (iii) sharing of information. 2. States Parties shall endeavour to provide high-risk and transborder populations with preventative and basic curative services for HIV/AIDS/STDs. ARTICLE 11 MALARIA CONTROL 1. States Parties shall establish efficient mechanisms for the effective control of malaria in the Region. 2. States Parties shall co-operate and assist one another in order to reduce the prevalence of malaria, and with support from stakeholder, ensure the optimal use of resources for, inter alia a) sharing scarce technical resources and operational research; b) harmonising goals, policies, guidelines, protocols, interventions and treatment regimens; and c) integrating malaria control mechanisms into Primary Health Care Services. --ARTICLE 12 TUBERCULOSIS CONTROL In view of the seriousness of tuberculosis in the Region, States Parties shall co-operate and assist one another a) to develop strategies for the sustained control of tuberculosis, including the efficient supply and delivery of drugs; and b) to ensure, where appropriate, the harmonisation of tuberculosis control activities and HIV/AIDS programmes. 5