Britain to Fund AIDS Treatment in Developing Countries for First Time

Hilary Benn, the United Kingdom's International Development Secretary, announced yesterday that Britain will fund AIDS treatments for the developing world for the first time. His announcement came at the launch of UNAIDS' annual report. Previously, the Department for International Development backed HIV prevention but did not support treatment programs. Lower antiretroviral drug prices, and the realization that whole regions of the world face economic ruin, led to the change.

"Generations are being wiped out by the disease," Benn said. "If we are honest, we should have done more sooner."

Spending on AIDS programs had increased sevenfold since 1997, according to Benn, making Britain the second largest donor to the developing world. By 2005-6, spending in Africa would rise to £1 billion (US $1.7 billion), he said.

The move reflects growing international concern about the pandemic's potential to destroy young, economically active populations in developing nations. The UNAIDS report said spending on AIDS programs rose 50 percent last year, an indicator that governments are taking the disease more seriously. Although world governments spent £4.7 billion (US $8.03 billion) to fight HIV/AIDS last year, this fell far short of what was required.

In a separate development, the European Union announced plans to cut funding, starting in 2004, for European centers that monitor AIDS, tuberculosis and sexually transmitted diseases. The cut comes as HIV/AIDS is on the rise in Baltic states such as Estonia, slated to join the European Union.

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