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Majority of G-8 Mobilizes Billions To Combat Infectious Diseases in Developing Countries
MAJORITY OF G-8 MOBILIZES BILLIONS TO COMBAT
INFECTIOUS DISEASES IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
July 22, 2000
Clinton-Gore Administration Invests $4 Billion; Japan Pledges $3
Billion Over Five Years. Today, President Clinton and other G-8 leaders
announced new partnerships to prevent and control HIV/AIDS, malaria,
tuberculosis (TB) and other infectious killers, and to accelerate the
development of badly needed vaccines. The majority of G-8 nations have made
significant new resource commitments to the infectious disease initiative.
Under the President's FY 2001 budget request, the U.S. contribution to
this effort will be more than $4 billion. The initiative includes:
Stepped up international assistance for HIV/AIDS, malaria, TB, and
other infectious diseases;
An accelerated effort to develop and distribute vaccines through the
Millennium Vaccine Initiative;
Expanded research on HIV/AIDS and other infectious killers.
The Clinton-Gore Administration has been working to strengthen
resources and leadership among G-8 nations for the fight against HIV/AIDS and
other infectious disease threats. The global challenge of infectious
disease is a major focus at this year's Summit, and G-7 nations are making
significant pledges to prevent and control HIV/AIDS, malaria and TB. The
initiative includes:
Japanese pledge of $3 billion over five years for international
HIV/AIDS, malaria and TB;
Canadian announcement of more than $100 million for international
HIV/AIDS programs;
U.K. and Italian support for substantial increases for international
infectious disease partnerships;
G-7-wide support for innovative new partnerships with industry,
academia, and international organizations to ensure that new vaccines are
developed and existing ones are delivered where needed.
The World Bank has committed $600 - $700 million in lending for
HIV/AIDS, malaria, TB and immunizations. The Clinton-Gore Administration
has been urging multilateral development banks to increase their resources for
health care systems, including vaccination programs and HIV/AIDS prevention and
care.
World Bank President James Wolfensohn has committed to triple
concessional lending in FY 2001 for AIDS, malaria, TB, and immunizations from
$200 million to between $600 and $700 million. This step will complement the
Cologne Debt Initiative, which will help free the resources of the Heavily
Indebted Poor Countries so they can invest in health care, education, the fight
against AIDS, the alleviation of poverty, and future prosperity.
Today's announcement builds on the Administration's aggressive
response to global disease challenges.
This year, President Clinton is asking Congress for an increase of
$100 million to $325 million for international AIDS prevention and care, more
than doubling the nation's commitment in 2 years.
This year, the Administration has requested more than $100 million
for TB prevention, control and research, and more than $100 million for efforts
to combat malaria.
On January 10, 2000, Vice President Gore chaired chaired the
first-ever United Nations Security Council session on a health issue --
HIV/AIDS as an international security threat.
On May 10, 2000, the President issued an Executive Order to help make
HIV/AIDS-related drugs and medical technologies more affordable and accessible
in beneficiary sub-Saharan African countries, while protecting intellectual
property rights. Last month, the pharmaceutical industry announced an
initiative to reduce prices for anti-retroviral drugs for developing countries.
Last month, the Peace Corps announced that all 2,400 Peace Corps
volunteers serving in 25 countries in Africa will be trained as educators of
HIV/AIDS prevention and care.
In his State of the Union address, President Clinton announced the
Millennium Vaccine Initiative to accelerate the development of malaria, TB, and
AIDS vaccines -- vaccines for which there is an enormous need, but little
market incentive for industry to develop.
$50 million in the President's FY2001 budget as a contribution to the
vaccine purchase fund of the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization
(GAVI);
Presidential leadership to ensure that the World Bank and other
multilateral development banks dedicate an additional $400 million to $900
million annually of their low-interest rate loans to health care services;
Significant increases in federally funded basic research on diseases
that affect developing nations; and a
$1 billion tax credit for sales of vaccines for infectious diseases
to accelerate their invention and production.
The Clinton-Gore Administration has a commitment to world-class
research, including investments in infectious disease research that exceed $2.6
billion in the FY 2001 budget request, including $2.1 billion for AIDS
research.
The Administration has doubled AIDS vaccine research funding since
1997, when President Clinton called for an accelerated effort to develop an
affordable, effective AIDS vaccine.
This year, the President is asking Congress for $267 million for AIDS
vaccine research, an increase of 12 percent over last year.
President Clinton's budget request also calls for a nearly 20 percent
increase for research on other infectious killers, such as malaria and TB.
The Scope of the Problem of Infectious Disease in Developing
Countries.
1/4 of all deaths each year worldwide, 13 million people, is the
result of infectious diseases.
Last year, AIDS killed 2.8 million people worldwide, more than ten
times the number who died in armed conflict. AIDS is now the single leading
cause of death in Africa, and HIV-infection rates are soaring in parts of Asia,
and Eastern Europe.
In Botswana, Zimbabwe and South Africa, one half of all 15-year-olds
will die of AIDS.
Thirteen million sub-Saharan African children have now lost one or
both of their parents to AIDS; the number will reach 40 million by the end of
the decade.
Over 8 million children die each year of long-established killers,
such as malaria, TB, and diarrheal diseases. More than 3 million of these
deaths could be prevented by existing vaccines.
Immunization is one of the most cost-effective health interventions.
It costs only $15 to immunize a child, yet, in developing countries, children
remain 10 times more likely to die of a vaccine-preventable disease than those
in the industrialized world. Twenty percent of children worldwide lack access
to basic immunization services.
Only 2 percent of all global biomedical research is devoted to the
major killers in the developing world.