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U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR)

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In 2003, the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) was launched to combat global HIV/AIDS- with a financial commitment of $15 billion - the largest commitment by any nation to combat a single disease in history.  In 2008, U.S. Congress authorized up to an additional $48 billion over the next five years to combat global HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria.

Through 2013, PEPFAR plans to work in partnership with host nations to support:

  • Treatment for at least 3 million people
  • Prevention of 12 million new infections
  • Care for 12 million people including 5 million orphans and vulnerable children

To meet these goals and build sustainable local capacity, PEPFAR will support training of health care workers in HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment and care.

The 2008 act committing additional funds does not specify in detail how the money should be spent, though there are still some guidelines:

  • Over half of the funds are to be spent on treatment programs, including antiretroviral treatment, care for associated opportunistic infections, and nutritional support for people living with HIV/AIDS.
  • In countries with generalized HIV epidemics, at least half of all money directed towards preventing sexual HIV transmission should be for ‘activities promoting abstinence, delay of sexual debut, monogamy, fidelity, and partner reduction’. 
  • Ten percent of the funding should be directed towards orphans and vulnerable children.

South Africa has the largest PEPFAR program in the world and accounts for almost a quarter of all global results.  For more information on USAID/Southern Africa’s contributions in this area, visit our USAID/South Africa’s Health page.

 

 

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