If we fund the fight against AIDS around the world, are we spending money that should fund HIV/AIDS programs in Canada? No.
Let’s take a look at why we can fund both Canadian HIV/AIDS programs and the global fight against the AIDS crisis.
1. The funding comes from two completely different budgets.
Domestic HIV/AIDS funding comes from the budgets of departments like Health Canada and the Public Health Agency (among others).
Canada’s contribution to the global AIDS crisis comes from the budget of Global Affairs Canada, with almost all of the funding being channeled through the Global Fund to fight AIDS, TB and malaria, an international partnership of governments and the private sector. International investment in the HIV responses of these countries peaked in 2013 at nearly US$10 billion; it has since declined to around US$8.3 billion in 2018.
Funding for domestic HIV/AIDS programs comes from Health Canada.
Funding for international HIV/AIDS programs comes from Global Affairs Canada.
2. The two fights against HIV are connected. We have not finished the fight against HIV/AIDS.
The fact of the matter is, we must fund both domestic and international programs to combat HIV/AIDS. The fight against HIV/AIDS is not over!
In Canada:
At the end of 2016, the estimated number of persons living with HIV in Canada was 63 110.
It is estimated that 1 in every 7 Canadians infected with HIV has not been diagnosed and is unaware of their infection. In the same year, an estimated 2,165 new HIV infections occurred in Canada.
Around the world:
Every day, nearly 800 young women are infected with HIV.
Globally, there are 38 million people living with HIV — almost 15 million of whom can’t get life-saving treatment, which puts them at risk of developing AIDS-related symptoms — and another 1.7 million people are infected with HIV every year.
Over 2,100 people die from AIDS-related causes every day.
Fact: AIDS isn’t a disease of the past. It’s a modern-day crisis and it’s impacting people and communities around the world right now. Diseases don’t stop at borders. To defeat AIDS once and for all, we must fight it at home and abroad.
