Asia-Pacific nations need more funds to fight HIV/AIDS, poverty,
Asia-Pacific nations need more funds to fight HIV/AIDS, poverty, study shows
Teresa Cerojano Associated Press/Manila
Goals to halve poverty in the Asia-Pacific region by 2015 will not be achieved unless more funds are committed to fighting HIV/AIDS, experts warned Monday.
About 7 million people were living with HIV/AIDS in the region in 2001, of whom more than half a million died that year. But that toll could rise to 750,000 by 2010, according to studies by the Asian Development Bank and the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS, or UNAIDS.
Economic losses in the region directly attributable to the virus totaled US$7.3 billion in 2001, and could more than double to US$17.5 billion (euro13.5 billion) without more money for prevention measures and treatment, the studies found.
"HIV/AIDS is already taking a far greater toll in the Asia- Pacific than is commonly realized, and the human, social and economic losses caused by the epidemic will reverse hard-earned gains in poverty reduction if governments and donors do not act now," an ADB/UNAIDS statement said.
The studies showed that in 2003-15, an average of 5.6 million people in Cambodia, India, Thailand and Vietnam will be impoverished annually by HIV/AIDS. Poverty reduction will be slowed by 60 percent yearly in Cambodia, 38 percent in Thailand and 23 percent in India.
"You can safely say that the Millennium Development Goal of reducing poverty in the region by half by the year 2015 cannot be achieved unless HIV/AIDS is addressed," ADB Vice President Geert Van Der Linden told a news conference.
The studies also showed that in 2003, countries in the region required about US$1.5 billion (euro1.15 billion) to finance a comprehensive response but only US$200 million (euro153.8) was available in public and donor funds.
Because of the growing backlog of prevention, care and treatment needs, regional resources needed will rise to US$5.1 billion (euro3.92 billion) by 2007, the studies showed.
The amount accounted for 4 percent of health expenditure and gross national income for the region in 2001, ADB and UNAIDS said.
If comprehensive prevention and care programs begin right away, the number of people infected by 2010 can be kept to 4 million -- less than half the expected total otherwise -- reducing the likely number of annual deaths and financial losses from the virus.
The ADB and UNAIDS have agreed to scale up their AIDS response in Asia and the Pacific, with the ADB earmarking 2 percent or US$140 million (euro107.7 billion) of the bank's US$7 billion (euro5.38 billion) soft loans window to AIDS for the next four years. Sweden has given the bank another US$15 million (euro11.5 million) for its AIDS program.
Dr. Peter Piot, UNAIDS executive director, said HIV/AIDS is "one of the biggest challenges for humankind."
GetAP 1.00 -- FEB 21, 2005 17:40:35