Britain to double aid to fight killer diseases

Britain will double its donation to a global fund that fights diseases such as AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and it hopes other donors will follow suit, the government said on Friday.

International Development Secretary Hilary Benn said the government will increase its aid from 51 million pounds ($88.68 million) a year to 100 million pounds for 2006 and 2007.

The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria was set up in 2002 to pay for antiretroviral drug treatment, HIV testing and training people to diagnose and treat the diseases.

“The UK is committed to the fight against AIDS,” he said in a statement. “The Global Fund needs more money and we hope other donors will also significantly increase their contributions.”

With the increased funding, the British government is now the fourth largest donor to the Fund and it accounts for 20 percent of the total world expenditure on the fight against AIDS, Benn said.

The disease kills more than two million people a year in Africa. The British government will spend 1.5 billion pounds on fighting HIV and AIDS over the next three years, a large part of which will be spent in Africa, Benn said.

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