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US government contributes R11 billion towards fight against HIV and Aids in SA

South Africa has the world’s highest AIDS burden.
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The United States government will be contributing R11 billion to fight the HIV and Aids pandemic in South Africa in the next year. Acting American Ambassador David Young says the money will be used in different HIV and Aids programmes.

Young, who will be based in the country for three years, has visited a number of clinics in the Durban metro. He says just because more people now have access to ARVs, it does not mean the pandemic is over.

“For the United States government this year we are putting over $750 million which is over R11 billion to the effort in the fight against HIV and Aids. Well it’s important to emphasise that our efforts in combating HIV and Aids are done with the government and partners here in South Africa. It’s from the federal, provincial, district level, it is important that we all work together. Contributions that we put in are only a fraction of what the South African government puts in.”

Earlier this year during the 9th South Africa Aids Conference in Durban, organisers raised concerns that the funding of HIV and Aids programmes was no longer equal to the magnitude of the problem. The conference adopted a declaration that delegates will unite to invest in on-going research.

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