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AIDS becoming costly - President

    JOHANNESBURG

    Botswana's President Festus Mogae has predicted a budget deficit of close to US $418 million, partly due to the high cost of the government's national HIV/AIDS programmes.

    The country is engaged in expensive projects for the provision of antiretroviral drugs and programmes to help prevent the mother-to-child transmission of HIV.

    Research shows that more than 8,000 HIV-positive people in Botswana are currently receiving treatment through the antiretroviral programme.

    The Agence France-Presse (AFP) news service quoted Mogae as saying: "The country still continues to be devastated by the impact of HIV/AIDS."

    He said the pandemic had resulted in the government committing an additional amount of almost US $155 million for new HIV/AIDS intervention programmes.

    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

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