In what was regarded as a significant plan to strengthen the global battle against three of the deadliest infectious diseases, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has pledged $912 million to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
The commitment was announced on Tuesday, 23rd September, ahead of the Global Fund’s Seventh Replenishment Conference. The move was lauded as one of the largest single donations in the foundation’s history, and serves as a persuasive tool, inducing world leaders to heighten their battle against the deadly diseases.
Recall that the breakout of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2019, led to the global lockdowns, supply chain disruptions, and overwhelmed health systems, surging the death count of Tuberculosis in over a decade, with significant decline in testing and prevention services for HIV and malaria. Therefore, the proposed investment targeted to fasten progress against Tuberculosis, HIV and malaria.
Delivering his speech during the pledge, the co–chair of the Gates Foundation, Bill Gates said “The world has seen what we can achieve when we unite behind a common goal.”
“But the fight against these diseases is far from over. This pledge is a vote of confidence in the Global Fund’s proven model and a call to action for other donors to step up. We have the scientific tools; now we need the political will and resources to finish the job.”
The pledge, if met, has the power to save 20 million lives, cut the mortality rate across the disease by 64–percent, and strengthen the health system to build resilience against unsuspecting pandemics.
A Plan to Save Priority Groups
Of 39.9 million people living with AIDS across the globe, women and girls covered 53–percent of the figure, with children under the age of 15–years accounting for 1.4 million.
Nearly every minute, a child under the age of five years dies of malaria, with the majority of these deaths being treatable and preventable. In 2022 alone, 249 million cases of malaria were recorded worldwide, resulting in approximately 608,000 deaths. Seventy Six percent of these deaths were children under five years of age. This means over 1,000 children under five die everyday.
Out of 10.8 million people leaving with Tuberculosis in 2023, 3.6 million were said to be women, while 1.3 million are children. A total number of 1.25 people were reported to have died from the disease that year, of which 161,000 of them are said to be battling HIV. Therefore, pregnant women were among the priority groups that are prone to Tuberculosis.
The implication of the above data is damning. Hence, Melinda French Gates, the co–chair of the foundation, emphasized the need to strengthen the fight against the three diseases due to their disproportionate impacts on women and children.
“Malaria remains a leading killer of children under five in sub-Saharan Africa. Tuberculosis is a top cause of death for women of reproductive age. By investing in the Global Fund, we are investing in gender equality and giving millions of women and girls the chance to lead healthy, productive lives.”
The Global Fund, a partnership between governments, civil society organizations, and the private sectors, is another international organization that has been instrumental in the fight against the three diseases since 2002.
Its programs are credited with saving over 50 million lives. Foundation officials highlighted the Fund’s efficiency and its focus on data-driven interventions that deliver measurable results in the countries most in need.
Welcoming the Gates Foundation’s move, the Executive Director of the Global Fund, Peter Sands said: “This extraordinary commitment from the Gates Foundation is a game-changer. It’s not just about the amount; it’s about the leadership and the powerful signal it sends. This will inspire other donors from the public and private sectors to help us reach our $18 billion goal and get back on the path to ending these epidemics.”