World Aids Day: Australia Helps Prevent HIV/AIDS Transmission

MEDIA RELEASE

Released By:
Downer

On World AIDS Day, it is important to reflect on the growing incidence of HIV/AIDS across the globe and how the Australian Government is assisting with the prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS, through Australia's overseas aid programme.

HIV/AIDS increasingly threatens the health and poverty of millions of people across Asia, the Pacific and Africa with almost 6 million new cases of HIV each year. More than 35 million people are already affected, 95% of whom live in developing countries.

The impact of HIV/AIDS on the health and economic development of communities has been profound. For instance, the number of adults and children living with HIV/AIDS in South and South East Asia now numbers some 6 million people - a statistic that is more alarming when one considers that this has forced life expectancy down from 60 to 43 years in the countries most affected by AIDS.

Our aid programme funds a range of projects in the Asia Pacific region by applying prevention strategies and care for the victims. One third of Australia's aid for HIV/AIDS goes to Indonesia, one quarter to Africa and one fifth to PNG.

In Papua New Guinea, Australia is establishing a National AIDS Support Project, with support of $50 million over five years to assist the PNG Government to implement its own national HIV Strategy.

Australia is also supporting the HIV/AIDS Prevention and Care project in Indonesia with $19 million over five years, community based projects through southern and eastern Africa with $6.4 million over three years, support for the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS and an additional $3.6 million for an innovative project in Thailand developing outpatient services in hospitals for the care of AIDS patients.

Australia's aid programme expenditure on HIV/AIDS has dramatically increased from $2.1 million in 1990-1991 to around $27 million in 1998-99 in response to the profound impact of this global epidemic on the resources of developing countries.