The United States of America has made a commitment to provide the sum of $140 million to help rid South Africa of the Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) epidemic. The African country currently has the highest number of people living with AIDS globally – one out of eight South Africans now live with the infection. This pledged donation will complement the efforts of the government to ameliorate the condition.

It has been reported that the funds were donated through the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), which supports projects in South Africa to encourage male circumcision and attempts to reduce new HIV infections in girls and young women. South Africa has the largest antiretroviral treatment programme globally and these efforts have been largely financed from its own domestic resources. The country now invests more than $1 billion annually to run its HIV and AIDS programmes.

Despite the huge investment by the country to control this health concern, the government is saying there is still more to be done with the support it is receiving from international donors. “We mustn’t say that just because we are making progress the job is done, the job is far from done,” the Health Minister, Aaron Motsoaledi, said.

Next week, more than 10,000 delegates from 180 countries are expected to attend the International Aids Conference to be held in Durban. The 5-day event will showcase the progress made by South Africa since 11-year old Nkosi Johnson’s plea for AIDS treatment in 2000. It is expected that the conference will further spur the government to do more to downgrade its current status in the HIV and AIDS global ranking.