Tanzania
The United States on Thursday approved $526 million aid to Tanzania over the coming year to expand the roll out of life-prolonging anti-retroviral drugs to people infected with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.
Some 1.4 million Tanzanians are estimated to be living with HIV in the nation of around 50 million people, with about 850,000 of them currently on anti-retrovirals (ARVs).
“This support will bring the total number of Tanzanians on HIV treatment up to 1.2 million,” the U.S. Embassy in Tanzania said in a statement. The funds were donated through the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), the world’s largest provider of AIDS-fighting medicine.
The programme has been credited with saving millions of lives around the world.
The financial assistance represents a 12 percent increase over last year’s budget and will also support HIV testing for 8.6 million Tanzanians and provide treatment to an estimated 360,000 people who newly test positive with the virus.
The funds will also support the care and treatment of orphans and vulnerable children and voluntary medical male circumcision to further prevent HIV transmission.
Reuters
02:17
The US and the UK condemn Iran's attack on Israel
11:10
Coltan: at the heart of DRC-Rwanda tensions [Business Africa]
01:17
US: Halle Berry reflects on how to get people back to movie theatres
02:20
Remake of 'Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead' released this week
01:42
UN committee to discuss Palestinian bid for full membership
00:44
Three Tanzanian soldiers killed in Democratic Republic of Congo