The World Bank has announced a four-year strategy for addressing the AIDS epidemic in Africa, Reuters reports (reuters.com, 5/14/08).
According to the report, the World Bank’s previous AIDS initiatives have focused on emergency responses. But with a $10.7 billion grant from the U.S. Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief and the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, the bank’s goals have shifted to medical treatment and improved prevention.
It is estimated that 22.5 million people in sub-Saharan Africa are HIV positive.
"With AIDS the largest single cause of premature death in Africa, we can't talk about better, lasting development there without also committing to stay the course in the long-term fight against the disease," said Elizabeth Lule, manager of the World Bank's AIDS Team for Africa.
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Overheard in the Women's Forum
"I am a 38 year old woman, straight and divorced. I was in a relationship with a man for four years and had grown to trust him. I was shocked the day I found out that he had given me an STD. I remember hearing how upset he was and then calming him down by saying, "Don't worry, it could have been so much worse." That was about two months before my [HIV] diagnosis. It took me almost a month to get rid of the STD. Still, my doctor never advised me to take an HIV test and of course it never occurred to me either. I was not in a high risk category—at least that is what I mistakenly told myself. Then one day I was shopping with my 18 year old daughter and in the check-out line I passed out. I was admitted [to the hospital, and seven days later] my test results came back positive. I know that my story is not so unusual, but I don't think I have met enough people to know that for sure."
