Source: Health Affairs 1 December 2009 | EN Policymakers and
donors must improve education on HIV/AIDS Flickr/United Nations
Photo These policy briefs, published as a supplement to a series
of articles in Health Affairs, ask what policymakers can do to
reduce the global burden of HIV/AIDS. Around 33 million people
are thought to be infected with HIV — the virus that causes AIDS
— with an estimated 2.3 million new infections each year.
Modelling studies suggest the annual cost of tackling HIV/AIDS
will reach up to US$35 billion by 2031. Donors must step up to
the funding challenge, say the policy briefs. The authors
suggest donors should focus on the poorest countries hardest hit
by HIV/AIDS, arguing that middle-income countries can and should
contribute more toward HIV treatment costs. The policy briefs
emphasise the need to invest in research — both to develop new
HIV vaccines, and understand how the body responds to HIV
infection and how disease develops. Research into prevention or
cure of infections such