16-11-04
Disease the real weapon of mass destruction – Barrett
John Barrett, Liberal Democrat MP for Edinburgh West, today
warned the Government that political will had to match the
pledged resources if the global fight against diseases such
as HIV/Aids was to be successful.
Mr Barrett was speaking during today’s parliamentary
debate in Westminster Hall, which focused on the Global Fund,
a partnership between Governments to try and halt the spread
of HIV/Aids, Tuberculosis (TB) and Malaria.
Over 45 million people are now estimated to be living with
HIV-aids with over 2 million people dying from the virus
every year. Tuberculosis also kills about 2 million
people each year, making it one of the world's leading infectious
causes of death among young people and adults
In a statement, Mr Barrett, who is also a Member of the House
of Commons International Development Department, said:
“This past weekend, we remembered the dead from two world
wars. At each remembrance ceremony we hope that we will never
again see death on such a massive scale. However, this
is exactly what is happening.
“It is hard to believe that in the twenty-first century, 6
million people die from the scourge of AIDS, TB and Malaria.
Most of these deaths could be prevented and at minimal cost
if the political will matches the resources being made available
through the Global Fund.
“Those living in the poorest regions of the world are the
hardest hit, with women and children often suffering the
most. At present only $633 million of the $3.4 billion pledged
to the Global Fund has so far been disbursed. This
simply is not good enough.
“The real weapons of mass destruction in the world today are
disease and poverty and the focus of world leaders must return
to this issue."
ENDS
Notes to Editors
• More information on
the Global Fund can be found at www.theglobalfund.org/en/
• A higher resolution digital photo of John
Barrett distributing tablets for the treatment of TB during a recent Select
Committee visit
to India can be downloaded.
• The Global Fund aims
to tackle three diseases, HIV/Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria
The Global HIV/AIDS Epidemic
• More than 45 million people worldwide are infected with HIV, 95% of who live in developing countries. In 2002, approximately five million people were newly infected with the virus.
• HIV/AIDS has killed more than 20 million people worldwide. 3.1 million people died of AIDS-related causes in 2002.
• AIDS is the leading cause of death inAfricaand the fourth-leading cause of death worldwide.
The Global Tuberculosis Epidemic
• Tuberculosis (TB) kills about two million people each year, making it one of the world's leading infectious causes of death among young people and adults.
• One-third of the world's population is infected with TB. Five to 10 percent of people who are infected with TB become sick with TB at some time during their life.
• Each year, more than 8 million people become sick with TB.
• Due to a combination of economic decline, the breakdown of health systems, insufficient application of TB control measures, the spread of HIV/AIDS and the emergence of multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB), TB is on the rise in many developing and transitional economies.
Between 2000 and 2020, it is estimated that:
• Nearly one billion people will be newly infected with TB.
• 200 million people will become sick from TB.
• TB will claim at least 35 million lives.[5]
The Global Malaria Epidemic
• Malaria, one of the world's most common and serious tropical diseases, is a protozoal infection transmitted to humans by mosquitoes.
• Each year, malaria causes at least one million deaths and an additional 300 to 500 million clinical cases, the majority of which occur in the world's poorest countries.
• More than 41% of the world's population is at risk of acquiring malaria, and the proportion increases yearly due to deteriorating health systems, growing drug and insecticide resistance, climate change, and war.
• High-risk groups include children, pregnant women, travelers, refugees, displaced persons, and labourers entering endemic areas.