The Global Fund saves 4.9 million lives in 6 years
30 November 2009
2.5 Million People on AIDS Treatment
6 Million People Treated for TB
104 Million Bed Nets Distributed for Malaria
Geneva – The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria today announced its end-of-year results, which show unprecedented progress in the fight against the three diseases. Through its investments in health programs in 140 countries, the Global Fund is supporting lifesaving antiretroviral treatment for 2.5 million people living with HIV, and has supported effective tuberculosis drugs treatment for 6 million people, and the distribution of 104 million bed nets to prevent malaria.
As a result, more than 4.9 million lives have been saved. These are people who would have been dead, had it not been for interventions supported by the Global Fund. Every day, 3,600 deaths are averted. With US$ 9.3 billion disbursed to more than 500 grants so far, the Global Fund currently provides nearly a quarter of all international financing for AIDS globally, as well as three-fifths for TB and malaria.
In June 2009, 2.3 million patients were on treatment in Global Fund-supported programs. Nearly 480,000 new patients have been enrolled in antiretroviral treatment programs that have been supported by the Global Fund over the past six months However, in the same period, the funding of several hundred thousand patients has been taken over by national health insurance programs in several countries and these patients are therefore no longer counted among those supported by the Global Fund. This is why the number reported today is 2.5 million, rather than 2.78 million.
“Every cent of the money the Global Fund allocates to its 140 countries is spent by these countries to achieve results,” said Professor Michel Kazatchkine, Executive Director of the Global Fund. “As a result, parents who otherwise would have died can continue to care for their children, adults can earn a living, and children can grow up healthy. The Global Fund is showing itself to be a highly efficient tool to turn donor money into lives saved and stronger heath systems.”
Since end 2008, 34 million bed nets have been distributed to families to protect them against malaria. The coming year will see considerably larger distributions of bed nets, as the world prepares to reach a target of providing a bed net to every family who needs one by 2011.
Another area of increasing success is that of provision of antiretroviral treatment to prevent transmission of HIV from mothers to their children. To date, 790,000 pregnant women living with HIV have received a complete course of these drugs through Global Fund-supported programs.
Additional results showed that a cumulative total of 4.5 million AIDS orphans and vulnerable children have been provided with basic care and support; 105 million sessions of HIV counseling and testing have been provided to people; 138 million people have been reached with community outreach prevention for one or several of the three diseases; 1.8 billion condoms distributed; 7.8 million people receiving care and support; and 11.3 million health or community workers have been trained to deliver services since the Global Fund started financing grants in 2003.
The results reported today combine data from individual programs supported by the Global Fund in 140 countries. To date, the Global Fund has approved grants worth US$ 18.7 billion since its creation in 2002. The Global Fund supports programs which deliver services to hundreds of millions of people.