Millions of lives will be lost and and a staggering US$47 billion in treatment costs are expected to be incurred if the funding targets set by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria are not met, according to a report released today.
According to the report Cost of Inaction, if the Global Fund receives the $15 billion it requires over the next three years to implement TB, AIDS and malaria programmes, the diseases can be successfully controlled.
But if the funding targets are not met, there will be millions of avoidable infections and deaths and lifetime treatment costs could skyrocket to US$47 billion, the report says. It also points out that a slowdown in efforts to tackle TB will result in growing levels of multi-drug resistant TB which is more expensive to treat.
“There are three compelling factors that make this a unique opportunity to fight and defeat these diseases,” said Mark Dybul, Executive Director of the Global Fund. “We have the experience to know how to fight them effectively, we have new scientific tools, and we understand the epidemiology of these diseases better than ever. We can make a transformative difference, and if we do not act now, the costs will be staggering.”
Read the report on International Civil Society Support
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