The Aids Healthcare Foundation (AHF) has established a global fund to develop forms to treat infectious diseases worldwide.
The diseases the organization is prioritizing are HIV, TB and malaria, according to an AHF press release.
“This target is a step in the right direction for helping to correct the damage done by COVID-19 in fighting these three deadly diseases,” AHF President Michael Weinstein said, according to the release. “It’s also encouraging that resources for pandemic preparedness are included in the new goal—an aspect of global public health AHF has advocated for the Fund to take on throughout this new pandemic. Leaders of the world’s wealthiest nations must ensure this upcoming replenishment is a success. The world simultaneously must make up the ground we’ve lost fighting HIV, TB and malaria and prepare for the inevitable next infectious disease outbreak.”
The Global Fund found an 11% decline in HIV prevention programs amid the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the release. The number of HIV-positive TB patients on antiretroviral treatment and TB treatment dropped by 16%.
"The task at hand may be daunting, but the Global Fund has proven its capacity through its history of delivering lifesaving results while exemplifying the utmost transparency and accountability," the release states. "It’s time the world heeded the lessons learned over the past two-plus years of COVID-19 and give the Global Fund the resources it needs to protect everyone from the deadliest infectious diseases."
The AIDS Healthcare Foundation is the largest AIDS organization in the world, the release states. Providing medical care and services to 1.6 million clients, the foundation services 45 countries in the U.S., Africa, Latin America/the Caribbean, Asia Pacific region and Europe.