HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria | Data.org - Debt AIDS Trade Africa

HIV/AIDS killed 1.6 million people in Africa in 2007. Tuberculosis (TB) killed approximately 550,000 people in the region last year, and at least 1 million people die from malaria each year, mostly children in Africa. These global pandemics disproportionately affect the poorest of the poor. Africa is by far the hardest hit: More people die every single month in Africa from AIDS and malaria alone than died in the entirety of the 2004 Asia-Pacific tsunami. Just as startling is the number of children who are left behind. Today in Africa there are 11.4 million AIDS orphans, a number that is expected to climb.

The human impact is undeniable, but the economic impact is also severe and measurable. Some estimates suggest annual GDP growth rates in countries with high incidences of HIV/AIDS can be 2-4% lower than in countries with an absence of the disease. It is estimated that malaria-an entirely preventable and treatable disease-costs Africa $12 billion in lost economic growth each year.

The good news is that these diseases are preventable and treatable using proven, cost-effective strategies. Global resources devoted to fighting the three diseases has rapidly scaled up in recent years and impressive results are being seen on the ground. Whereas in December 2003 there were only 50,000 Africans receiving anti-AIDS treatment, today over 1.34 million HIV-positive people are receiving this life saving medication. But despite recent successes, global funding is still not sufficient to get ahead of the epidemics. In 2005, world leaders committed to helping provide universal access to AIDS prevention, care and treatment, but there is still no plan in place for realizing this ambitious goal. AIDS, TB and malaria can be defeated, but only with a determined commitment from African and donor nations to ensure that all Africans have access to prevention, care and treatment.

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2007 UNAIDS Epidemic Update 12.07
New Resource Estimates for Universal Access 09.25.07
The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria 09.25.07
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DATA Report

HIV/AIDS, TB and Malaria Archive