GENEVA – The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and
Malaria has welcomed the new UNAIDS/WHO 2006 AIDS Epidemic Update, which
indicates that HIV prevalence has declined significantly in a number of African
countries and that increased access to antiretroviral AIDS treatment has led to
millions of additional years of healthy life. However, the global epidemic
continued to grow in 2006, with more than four million new infections and nearly
three million deaths. “This report clearly shows that national and global
efforts have led to vital progress in the fight against the HIV/AIDS pandemic.
But that progress is still too slow and too limited,” said Professor Richard
Feachem, Executive Director of the Global Fund. “This should serve as a clarion
call to the global community to take our investments and commitment to the next
level”. The report also highlights the expanding burden of HIV/AIDS outside
sub-Saharan Africa, which continues to be the centre of the pandemic. Infection
levels grew in almost every region of the world, particularly in East Asia and
Eastern Europe and Central Asia where the number of new infections has increased
by one-fifth over the past two years. “We must ensure we look at the pandemic
through a truly global lens,” continued Professor Feachem. “We have a unique
opportunity to prevent epidemics in Asia and Eastern Europe – especially the
giants of China, India and Russia – from reaching catastrophic levels. But that
opportunity is shrinking with each passing year”. The Global Fund is one of the
world’s predominant financiers of the fight against HIV/AIDS, with more than
US$3.7 billion committed to scaling up prevention, care, and treatment efforts
in 120 countries. While the majority of the Global Fund’s investments are to
sub-Saharan Africa, it has committed significant resources throughout Asia,
Eastern Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, and other regions. By June this
year, Global Fund-financed programmes had provided antiretroviral treatment to
more than 550,000 people living with AIDS, tested and counselled 5.7 million
people for HIV – a critical step to both preventing and treating the disease –
and provided essential care and support to 560,000 orphans. Earlier this month,
the Global Fund’s Board committed to launching a new round of grants in March
2007 to further increase the organisation’s financial support for AIDS, TB and
malaria programmes.