Global Fight Against AIDS Falters as Pledges Fail to Reach Goal of $13 Billion

Pouya Rohani

Oct 10, 2010

1:15 pm

About forty countries attended a conference in Manhattan to donate money for three years for fighting AIDS, Malaria, and Tuberculosis around the world. The money that was collected in this conference was even lower the minimum that was targeted, thirteen billion dollars. Amount of money the organizer of the conference hoped to raise twenty billion dollars in order to get closer to the growing epidemic. About twelve billion, 11.7 billion, dollars is not enough to help those in need around the world. Fortunately, those people under treatment could still be treated with this amount of donation. The money that was collected can assist about three million patients who had AIDS. The numbers of patients that can receive AIDS drug, three million people, are much lower than those who need it. About thirty three million people are infected around the world, and of those fourteen million people should be on drug based on World Health Organization recommendation. Countries did not donate as much money that was expected in order the target to be reached. For example, China gave just sixty million dollars, or South Africa with the worst AIDS epidemic in the world, donate two million dollar. The United States contribute most four billion dollars that showed forty percent increase from its last contribution. Low budget not just effect AIDS patients, but also undermine Malaria and Tuberculosis treatment.

It seems many politicians in some governments are not interested to help their people. When a country that has the highest number of people infected with AIDS donates so little as two million dollars, this means the people in the country are in trouble. Many other countries except the United States did little help. It is unfortunate; countries with high GDP like China helped under hundred million dollars. This would definitely increase the number of people who are dying because of the disease around the world.

Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/06/world/africa/06aids.html