US$ 500 Million disbursed to Global Fund-supported programs in Latin America and The Carribean
28 April 2008
Geneva – The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria announced today that it has disbursed US$ 500 million to programs fighting the three diseases in Latin America and the Caribbean.
The US$ 500 million mark was reached through a US$ 2 million disbursement to a program fighting tuberculosis in Peru, which was approved under Round 5.
“Global Fund-supported activities in the fight against AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria in the Latin America and Caribbean region are saving lives and are giving renewed hope to people who are living with these diseases,” said Dr Michel Kazatchkine, Executive Director of the Global Fund. “Programs in the region are also benefiting enormously from the participation of civil society in ensuring the delivery of services to key affected populations in many countries. We are proud to give them our support.”
The Global Fund has approved grants worth more US$ 800 million for 61 programs in 26 countries in the region. Ten additional grants that were approved under Round 7 are scheduled to start implementation this year.
Programs in the region have delivered antiretroviral treatment to more than 64,500 people living with HIV/AIDS and more than 600,000 insecticide-treated bed nets to people at risk of malaria. An additional 45,000 people infected with TB have been treated under Directly Observed Treatment, short course (DOTS) protocol, the internationally-approved strategy for effective TB treatment.
The Global Fund is anticipating a significant increase in demand for resources in Round 8 from countries in Latin America and the Caribbean as they continue to scale up their national prevention and care efforts.
Since its creation in 2002, the Global Fund has become the main financer of programs to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, with approved funding of US$ 10.7 billion for more than 550 programs in 136 countries. To date, programs supported by the Global Fund have averted two million deaths through providing AIDS treatment for 1.4 million people, anti-tuberculosis treatment for 3.3 million people and the distribution of 46 million insecticide-treated bed nets for the prevention of malaria.