Zambia to benefit from U.S. HIV funds

Zambia is among nine African countries that will benefit from 210 million U.S. dollars released by the United States (US) government aimed at reducing infection and to promote early treatment of HIV/AIDS among children, the Zambia Daily Mail reported on Friday.

The funds, released under the U.S. President's Emergency Fund for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) will enable 300,000 more children living with HIV to receive Anti-Retroviral Treatment (ART) under the Accelerated Children's HIV and AIDS Treatment (ACT) initiative.

Deborah Birx, ambassador at Large and U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator said there was need for increased partnerships in the fight against AIDS in a bid to reach an HIV-free generation.

Other African countries that will benefit from the funds include Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania and Zimbabwe, she added.

The ACT was a two-year effort to double the number of children receiving life-saving ART in sub-Saharan Africa and it is funded by PEPFAR and the Children's Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF).

The official said the two funding agencies worked together to select the participating countries, which are among those with the lowest access to paediatric treatment and the greatest disparity in treatment coverage for children compared to adults living with HIV.

"The initiative will ensure that children are healthy and live adulthood, which enable them to grow economies, create jobs, and contribute to their families and communities for decades to come," she was quoted as saying by the paper. Enditem

Zambia is one of the countries in sub-Saharan Africa grappling with the HIV/AIDS pandemic with 14.3 percent of its population aged between 15 and 49 currently living with the virus.

According to government figures, about 445,000 HIV-positive adults and 49,000 children are receiving free drugs in public health institutions. Endi