The Global Fund seeks to raise a minimum of $18 billion to save 20 million people by strengthening the fight once morest HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, improving health systems and preparing the world for future pandemics , says a press release from the Global Fund to fight these diseases.
« We have made tremendous progress“, welcomed, in its annual report, the Global Fund to fight HIV, tuberculosis and malaria which was created in 2002 and has since achieved significant results by focusing on making tests and medicines widely available vitals.
The death rate has since halved, while more than 44 million lives have been saved, the report estimates, noting that by putting the focus on those most affected by outbreaks, the Fund has been able to reverse the trend in many countries in recent years.
« But our fight is not over yet“, the foundation warned, stressing that these diseases are coupled with a series of crises, from climate change to conflicts and the Covid-19 pandemic, which “ may set us back« .
The foundation, which includes governments, multilateral agencies, bilateral partners, civil society groups, the private sector and patients, will host a fundraising appeal in New York next week, where it hopes to raise at least $18 billion. dollars for the implementation of its 2024-2026 programs.
For the first time in 20 years, due to Covid-19, the world has lost ground in the fight once morest HIV, tuberculosis and malaria. This setback prompted the Global Fund to release its ambitious investment case representing a 30% increase from the previous campaign.
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The fund estimates that the funding will help reduce HIV, TB and malaria-related deaths by nearly two-thirds and save 20 million lives.
However, he said on Monday that the massive resources he had mobilized were bearing fruit and that “the recovery is underway”. Since March 2020, the Global Fund has announced that it has invested more than $4.4 billion to fight the pandemic and mitigate its impact on its programs.
“Although most countries battling HIV, TB and malaria have started to recover from the ravages of Covid-19, we need to accelerate our efforts if we are to fully regain lost ground and get back on track. to end these diseases by 2030,” said Fund chief Peter Sands, noting that saving 50 million lives over two decades proves that global commitment can reverse the infectious disease deadliest in the world.
The number of people who received life-saving antiretroviral therapy last year rose to 23.3 million, from 9.21 a year earlier, said the Global Fund, which provides almost a third of international funding for the fight once morest HIV, adding that the number of people who received prevention services increased once more following declining in 2020, reaching 12.5 million people worldwide.
The foundation, however, warned that regarding 10 million people living with the virus do not have access to these drugs, and that despite the drop in AIDS-related deaths by 50% since 2010 to 650,000 last year, the Fund remains far from its objective which was to reduce the number of deaths below 500,000 per year.
The pandemic has tested the fight once morest tuberculosis, as many resources have been diverted to stem Covid-19. In 2020, a total of 1.5 million people died from tuberculosis, making it the second deadliest infectious disease following Covid.
However, the Global Fund, which provides 76% of all international funding to fight TB, reports signs of improvement, saying that in 2021 the number of people on treatment reached 5.3 million, including 110,000 people. treated for resistant tuberculosis.
The pandemic has also affected the fight once morest malaria, with service disruptions pushing deaths up 12% in 2020 to around 627,000. But the fund has noted a rebound in its programs, with around 280 million suspected cases tested and 148 million cases reviewed last year. In addition, 133 million mosquito nets have been distributed.
With MAP
