ETHIOPIA: Free AIDS drugs for thousands

The US has announced plans to provide free anti-AIDS treatment to over 200,000 HIV-positive Ethiopians over the next five years.

According to assistant US Global AIDS coordinator Mark Dybul, this will follow the provision of free drugs to 15,000 people at 20 sites by the end of March 2005.

The cost of the March treatment target is estimated at US $43 million and is part of the US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), a five-year $15 billion initiative to tackle HIV/AIDS.

A local newspaper, The Daily Monitor, quoted Dybul as saying: "Ethiopia is one of 15 countries that are getting a huge amount of money from [PEPFAR]."

Theme (s): Care/Treatment - PlusNews,

[This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations]