Combating HIV/Aids in Cameroon: Public Health Minister celebrates as World Bank offers 63.19 billion FCFA

The World Bank has just offered Cameroon the sum of 63.19 billion CFA francs in grants for the fight against HIV / AIDS and tuberculosis. Cameroon Concord understands this money will fund the prevention of HIV transmission from mother to child, new infections, care for those infected, TB and HIV co-infection, malaria and input monitoring and evaluation. 

According to Dr. Leopold Zekeng, UN AIDS Deputy Director for West and Central Africa, there are over 600 000 adults and children living with HIV AIDS, 48 000 new infections, 8,000 babies born infected each year, and a little over 30 000 deaths . Cameroon is 2nd on the HIV infection rating in West and Central Africa after Nigeria. Dr Leopold Zekeng say, "Many efforts have been made in 2005. Today it is just over 165 000. So there are about 600 000 who need treatment. Between those who need treatment and those who do not yet need, there is a gap. And that gap is not insurmountable”.

The controversial Minister of Public Health, Andre Mama Fouda, representing the Government of Cameroon, has welcomed the new funding saying "Cameroon is pleased to celebrate today the confidence granted by an international institution such as the World Bank- a body whose major donors are the United States, France, Germany, Italy ... and that confidence translated today by a non-refundable amount of sixty billion CFA francs”.