The world’s 34 million people living with HIV and Aids resides in developing countres, a world Bank report has said.
The report which was issued on Friday in Tokyo at the ongoing Annual meeting of the World Bank and International Monetary observed that 2.7 million people were newly infected with HIV and that that about 1.8 million died of HIV related illness in the past two years.
“Sub-saharan Africa accounted for 68 per cent of all the infections and nearly half of all HIV related deaths globally,’’ it said.
According to the report, while 6.6 million people worldwide access treatment, nearly eight million additional people who are in need of access did not have it as at 2010.
It noted that for every one person on treatment, two were infected adding that without effective HIV prevention, the number of people requiring treatment would become unsustainable.
“In spite of the increase in AIDS funding during the past decade, financing gap persist, while international assistance declined from 7.6 billion in 2009 to 6.9 billion in 2010.
“And the bulk of likely available funds is unpredictable and these funds are mainly for treatment,’’ it said.
It noted that through the? International Development Association, the bank had funded the poorest, helped to save lives and improved health condition of millions in developing economies.
It said that the bank provided more than 68 million people with basic packages of? nutrition,? provided 55 million pregnant women with antenatal care, delivered anti-retroviral therapies to 1.5 million adults and children with HIV among others.
It noted that a regional project supported by the bank in West Africa’s transport corridor reduced sexually transmitted infections by 22 per cent.
“In India, the national Aids programme with support from the banks, prevented an estimated 3.5 million of India's expected 5.5 million HIV Infection,
“In Rwanda, integrated incentivised AIDS service delivery supported by the world Bank contributed to 76 per cent increase in overall health service utilisation,’’? it said.
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