Report Projects Global HIV/AIDS Pandemic Could Cost $35 Billion Annually by 2031
A recent report by the AIDS 2031 project warns that funding to fight HIV and AIDS in developing countries could reach $35 billion annually by 2031 if governments continue with current approaches.
This includes more than one million people infected every year in the best case scenario, and a cost of $722 billion over 22 years, or nearly $8,000 for every infection prevented.
However, the report also suggests these costs could be cut nearly in half by focusing on high-impact measures in at-risk groups, such as sex workers and injecting drug users.
The AIDS 2031 project was designed to figure out what can be done to alter the course of the AIDS pandemic. The goals of the AIDS 2031 project are to reduce the number of new infections, to provide infected individuals with necessary treatment, and to assist AIDS orphans in regaining normal lives.
Currently, there are 33 million infected people worldwide, and 2.3 million adults were newly infected in 2007. If the current trend continues, by 2031, the AIDS pandemic will enter its fiftieth year.
The report estimated AIDS costs based on 48 interventions, including prevention, care and treatment, mitigation, program support, and international support.
The economic models assumed that condom usage, drug usage, and circumcision would be widespread, while microbicides and vaccines would not be widely used due to their high costs.
Different economic strategies were proposed in order to control the financial problems. One strategy is for policy changes focusing on high-impact prevention and efficient treatment, which could cut costs in half. Another strategy is for nurses to provide treatment instead of doctors.
Additionally, male circumcision has been shown to be very effective in reducing female-to-male HIV transmission, and antiretroviral drugs are effective in reducing mother-to-child HIV transmission risk.
The researchers state that rapidly developing countries like Brazil, China, India, Mexico and Russia should be able to pay for fighting their own epidemics. Attention will be focused on southern African countries, Kenya, Mozambique, Uganda, and Zambia. Currently, these countries have been facing the greatest problem with controlling infection with limited financial resources (see related AIDS Beacon news).
For more information, please see the full report in Health Affairs.
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Everything is about HIV/AIDS yes I do understand the Pandemic but what about TB? It is out of control and kill more and more people daily.
More people are infected on a daily basis because it is droplet infection.
TB and HIV/AIDS are big twins these days if you have a patient with HIV/AIDS and you test this patient for TB it is 70 – 8o% post for TB.
If you have HIV/AIDS you infected one persone at a time when you have unprotected sexual intercourse or rarely blood tranfusion these days.
If you have TB and not on treatment or does not know you are infected or you are just arrogrant and you sleep in a house full of other people and you cough sneez you infected more people than HIV/AIDS at a time a whole family can be infected.
TB people is also a Pandemic mostly in Africa, I would like to see more attention and money set aside for TB.
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