Global Fund approves $2.75bn

One of the largest public-private partnerships in the world has approved $2.75 billion (£1.76 billion) in grants to fight communicable diseases.

The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria has given the green light to 94 projects – more than 90 per cent in low income countries – at a meeting to discuss an eighth round of funding in India.

More than half of the cash will go on fighting malaria, followed by HIV/Aids then tuberculosis.

The approved money is twice the size of the previous round.

Global Fund board chairman Rajat Gupta said: “These new resources will significantly help the world in achieving global targets such as universal access to AIDS treatment and prevention and cut the number of deaths from tuberculosis and malaria by half by 2015.”

A total of 77 per cent of the cash was approved for Africa and the Middle East with 14 per cent for western Pacific, six per cent for Latin America and the Caribbean, and six per cent for eastern Europe and central Asia.

HIV/Aids, malaria and tuberculosis kill more than six million people each year, according to the Global Fund.

News brought to you by Global Health TV, covering the issues of health in the developing world.