Three MDG fund launched in Myanmar

YANGON- Three Millennium Development Goals (3 MDG) Fund has been launched in Myanmar aimed at developing program to reduce maternal and child mortality rate and to fight three diseases — HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis (TB) and malaria in the next five years, official media reported Thursday.

Donors of the fund consist of the governments of Australia, Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom as well as the European Union.

The fund will spend 300 million U.S. dollars to finance the efforts, said the New Light of Myanmar newspaper.

The 3 MDG Fund is a follow-up of the 3 Diseases Fund (3DF) which has contributed to fighting the three diseases from 2006 to 2012.

According to statistics, in 2011, about 215,000 people were registered living with HIV/AIDS in the country and over 18,000 people died of the disease during the year.

HIV is prevalent among key populations in Myanmar with 9.4 percent among sex workers, 11 percent among men who have sex with same, 21.9 percent among drug addicts, 1 percent among pregnant women.

The statistics also show 10 out of 100 TB patients were found infected with HIV-AIDS.

In 2010 alone, there were about 9,000 new HIV infections and nearly 20,000 AIDS-related deaths.

Myanmar has been fighting against HIV/AIDS for more than two decades since the first HIV case was reported in 1988 and the first AIDS case in 1991.

Source: Xinhuanet

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