Additional funding needed to reverse spread of AIDS

New estimates are that US$22 billion in funding for the prevention, treatment, and care of HIV will be necessary by 2008 to reverse the spread of AIDS in developing countries. This money is required to improve the health capacity of developing countries through building infrastructure. These latest figures are from a report issued by the UNAIDS Secretariat that was released to the UNAIDS Programme Coordinating Board. The report, “Resources needs for an expanded response to AIDS in low and middle income countries”, focuses on the longer-term investments that will be critical to improving the capacity of country’s to handle the AIDS pandemic.

Currently only $8.3 billion is available from all funding sources for treatment and prevention programs. Increasing international resources will help recruit and train community healthcare workers, provide new and renovated health clinics and hospitals, and will help treat 75% of the 6.6 million people worldwide in need of ARVs. A key part of this response also includes providing support for orphans and vulnerable children and more than half the $22 billion would be used to implement and scale-up comprehensive prevention activities. To view this report online go towww.unaids.org.

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All articles written by Kristen Jill Kresge