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Experts at Doctors Without Borders
said Thursday that African nations are not receiving adequate HIV/AIDS
international funding. In a statement released in Johannesburg ahead of the
19th International AIDS Conference, DWB said African countries worst affected
by the pandemic were the least able to provide “the best science” available to
fight it. For example, Congo is only able to supply antiretroviral drugs to 15
percent of people who need them and “patients are literally dying on our
doorstep.”
According to DWB, African countries
are increasingly being urged to find their own AIDS solutions. “This is just a
cynical excuse for donors to scale back on their earlier commitments of putting
an end to this disease. It will have catastrophic consequences for patients,”
said Dr. Eric Goemaere, DWB’s senior regional adviser for southern Africa.
The latest UNAIDS study reports that
international AIDS funding was about $8 billion in 2008 and has not increased
significantly since, forcing some developing nations to increase their own
spending for existing programs.
Despite these concerns, progress is
being made in the region. On Thursday, South African Health Minister Aaron
Motsoaledi credited drug treatment with a decline in cases of mother-to-child
HIV transmission. In the country, 32 percent of live births are HIV-exposed,
and it is estimated that 30 percent of HIV-exposed babies would be infected
without drug treatment. According to DWB, Malawi, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe also
have seen progress.
Stuart Chuka, an official of the
Malawi health ministry said Thursday, “Just as success is within reach, we’re
up against a great financial squeeze. I truly believe we can end AIDS. But we
can’t do it alone.” Thierry Dethier, a DWB official in the Congo, added that
only one-tenth of health facilities in that country offer AIDS treatment.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is
dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and
empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV
virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
