United States Government, Global Fund collaborate to treat 1.58 million people living with HIV/AIDS
01 June 2007
Washington, DC - The U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria announced today that the two international partners are supporting life-extending antiretroviral treatment for a combined 1.58 million people living with AIDS worldwide. This represents a doubling in the total number of people receiving treatment in low- and middle-income countries over the past year.
"The fight against HIV/AIDS must be sustained, and ultimately won, at the national and community levels," said Ambassador Mark Dybul, U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator. "The results announced today are a testament to the work of courageous people in nations devastated by HIV/AIDS who are saving the lives of their countrymen and women. The American people are proud to support this fight, and will continue to stand in partnership with the people of the world until the fight is won."
"The U.S. has been and continues to be a valued leader in the global fight against HIV/AIDS," said Dr. Michel Kazatchkine, Executive Director of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. "PEPFAR and other worldwide efforts to fight AIDS are making it possible for those who were on the brink of death to return to productive lives and contribute to the growth of their communities. The impact is now visible and demonstrates that investments in health make a real difference, both in the lives of individuals receiving lifesaving treatment and in the economies of countries hardest hit by the disease."
"Based on what we see in Zambia, I'm not surprised that treatment numbers are doubling around the world. The Global Fund and PEPFAR help us on the front lines treat and care for our people. We need you in this hour, and the large increases planned for both PEPFAR and the Global Fund will allow us to save even more lives," said Karen Sichinga, a nurse and deputy director of Churches Health Association of Zambia.
The new results reflect the strong country-level partnership between PEPFAR and the Global Fund. The U.S. government, as a founding member of the Global Fund and largest contributor, continues to play a leadership role in ensuring the success of this essential international effort.
At the end of March 2007, 1.1 million men, women and children were receiving antiretroviral treatment through bilateral programs in the Emergency Plan's 15 focus countries in sub-Saharan Africa, Asia and the Caribbean. Meanwhile, results reported between January and April 2007 by programs the Global Fund supports showed that treatment had been provided for 1.1 million people worldwide. Approximately 600,000 people in PEPFAR focus countries received treatment support from both PEPFAR and the Global Fund, and thus are counted in the totals given above for each organization. When accounting for those jointly supported by the two programs, the combined total number of people receiving treatment through both efforts worldwide amounts to 1.58 million.
On May 30th, President Bush announced that he will ask Congress to provide an additional US$ 30 billion to the U.S. AIDS effort over the coming five years.
In April, the Global Fund's board agreed to seek at least US$ 6 billion a year to fight AIDS, TB and malaria through 2010. This tripling in the size of the Global Fund will be needed to meet projected demand from developing countries to fight disease and strengthen health systems.
To further support the scale up of HIV/AIDS services, the Global Fund and PEPFAR have joined together with the Government of Rwanda, United Nations Joint Programme on HIV/AIDS, the World Bank, the United Nations Children's Fund, and the World Health Organization to convene the 2007 HIV/AIDS Implementers' Meeting in Kigali, Rwanda from June 16-19. More than 1,500 delegates from around the world will come together to reflect on the achievements in the fight against HIV/AIDS and to consider future directions of HIV/AIDS programs.