US guarantees half of AIDS millions

Uganda could soon receive US $37 million in funding from the US as part of President George W Bush's emergency plan for HIV/AIDS relief in African and Caribbean countries. According to Agence France-Presse (AFP), a statement by the US embassy in Uganda said the amount represented half of what the country was due to receive under the plan for fiscal year 2004. The money is expected to be used for the expansion of existing HIV/AIDS programmes, including antiretroviral drug treatment for 60,000 HIV-positive people, and care and support for 300,000 others. Research shows that out of an estimated 100,000 people in urgent need of antiretroviral treatment, only 17,000 currently have access to the drugs.