PartnersGF - 2005-02-09 

Re: Joint Media Release WHO/UNAIDS/Global Fund/US Government (7)

Dear Partnership Forum,

According to the recent WHO report released about "3 x 5" progress, 275,000, people in the Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) region now have access to anti-retroviral therapy.

WHO and UNAIDS also frequently refer to the fact that the LAC is now treating 60% of all people who need therapy, and that the region is a "success story."

A review of these WHO figures was conducted from country specific information available on the WHO
Website (http://www.who.int/3by5/en/annex2need.pdf) and it is apparent that
in spite of very limited progress, the situation in the region's poorest countries has not changed much.


Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Venezuela account for 242,000
of those on treatment in the region. In these six large countries a total of
304,900 are reported as needing treatment so coverage is 79%.

Meanwhile in the other 19 countries in the region for which information is available, a total of 16,473 people are on treatment out of 118,650 who need it, for a total of 14%. [We apologize that we are not able to send tables in their original formats. Mod.]


The Global Fund: "Money in the Bank"

Information made available from the Global Fund shows that in 13 of these 19 hardest hit countries, Global Fund grants totaling $251 million dollars have been approved. Some of the approval dates for these projects date back to at least October, of 2003, most of the others were approved in January of 2003. Still, of a potential $251 million approved for these 13 projects, only $27 million has been disbursed.

Of 100,000 people who need treatment in these 13 countries, there are approximately 5,200 who are actually receiving it.

If the average cost of treatment in the region is $800 per year per person,only $4.1 million of the $27 million already disbursed is being utilized for one year of treatment for 5,200 people. Thus, although it seems incredible, of $251 million available since at least October of 2003, and much of it since January of 2003, over two years ago, we estimate that only about $4.1 million has been directed toward treatment access, most of that coming in Haiti, Honduras and Peru. Since January of 2003, approximately 150,000 people have died of AIDS in Latin America and the Caribbean, two thirds of these in countries which have Global Fund projects approved.

In the entire Latin American and Caribbean region, including all countries
in the region and during all four rounds of the Global Fund's existence,
$464 million dollars have been approved for all projects. As of today, we estimate that about $6 million has been used for treatment access, if Argentina and Chile are added to the $4.1 million cited above.


Figures approach African Percentages in Several Countries

The figures released by WHO and UNAIDS are further skewed by the situation in Costa Rica, Uruguay, Cuba, and Panama, all of which are reported to have universal access. These four countries account for an 6,600 of the people on treatment. Three of these four countries (except Cuba) are now classified as countries which are among the world's 45 wealthiest countries in terms of Human Development Index. So if one removes these countries from the figures cited above, in the other middle and lower income countries in LAC, 10,473 people actually have ARV's out of 112,650 for an actual figure in the region's poorest countries of 9%.on ARV therapy, very close to figures from much of Africa.

Yet the International Agencies continue to discuss LAC as a "successful" region, although in 15 of the 25 countries for which information is available, only 14% of people who need treatment actually have it. And over $400 million dollars of Global Fund money for approved projects is sitting in banks in Geneva.

According to latest figures provided by UNAIDS, 300 people die each day of AIDS in Latin America and the Caribbean. This means that of the 175,000 People with AIDS who need treatment today in all 24
countries surveyed in the region, in just two months from now, 18,000 of them will have died, and by the end of 2005, about 100,000.


Richard Stern
rastern@racsa.co.cr