Search
  1. Home
  2. Africa
  • News

Experts urge joint AIDS and tropical disease fight

    JOHANNESBURG

    International health experts at a gathering in Stockholm, Sweden, have called for the fight against HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis (TB) and malaria in Africa to focus on other tropical diseases as well.

    Neglected tropical diseases like bilharzia and hookworm not only caused hundreds of thousands of deaths on their own but also undermined the effectiveness of international efforts against AIDS, TB and malaria, the experts warned.

    According to Alan Fenwick, professor of tropical parasitology at Imperial College in London, tackling other diseases in tandem would be comparatively low-cost - around US $1 billion to treat 500 million people over five years.

    The Associated Press quoted Fenwick as saying, "We believe it's the best buy of health at the moment."

    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

    Share this article

    Our ability to deliver compelling, field-based reporting on humanitarian crises rests on a few key principles: deep expertise, an unwavering commitment to amplifying affected voices, and a belief in the power of independent journalism to drive real change.

    We need your help to sustain and expand our work. Your donation will support our unique approach to journalism, helping fund everything from field-based investigations to the innovative storytelling that ensures marginalised voices are heard.

    Please consider joining our membership programme. Together, we can continue to make a meaningful impact on how the world responds to crises.

    Become a member of The New Humanitarian

    Support our journalism and become more involved in our community. Help us deliver informative, accessible, independent journalism that you can trust and provides accountability to the millions of people affected by crises worldwide.

    Join