PEPFAR to Fund Additional 72,000 Ugandans for ARV Treatment Over Two Years

"An additional 72,000 Ugandans living with HIV/AIDS will be enrolled for free antiretroviral (ARV) treatment over the next two years, following increased American funding," New Vision reports. U.S. Ambassador Jerry Lanier said that the new funding "means that means that by 2012, the American people plan to directly support more than 250,000 Ugandans on ARVs." Though "PEPFAR is currently funding more than 70% of the entire response to HIV and AIDS in Uganda," Lanier "noted that ... the demand for HIV and AIDS services, especially ARVs, is rapidly outpacing the ability to deliver them to those who are in need" (Bainemigisha, 9/3). In a Daily Monitor commentary that discusses the new funds, Lanier writes, "The U.S. government is not -- and cannot -- be the only source of funding for Uganda's HIV and AIDS prevention, care, and treatment efforts." He notes that U.S. aid programs will work with host countries to identify opportunities for support (9/7).

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