Mozambique's Progress on HIV/AIDS Insufficient, World Bank Official Says

Mozambique has made insufficient progress in efforts to address HIV/AIDS over the past year despite increased efforts to expand access to antiretroviral drugs, a World Bank official said on Wednesday at a meeting held in Maputo, Mozambique, to review the country's progress in implementing World Bank-financed projects over the last year, the Independent Online reports.

The World Bank has provided more than $800 million to finance 18 development projects in Mozambique. The projects aim to help the country develop capacity at the local level to implement an HIV/AIDS response plan and other initiatives. Susan Hume, World Bank program manager in Mozambique, at the meeting said the country's response to HIV/AIDS since September 2007 has been "weak or deficient."

HIV prevalence in Mozambique has increased in recent years, and about 16% of adults in the country are HIV-positive, the Independent Online reports (Independent Online, 9/18).

Back to other news for September 2008