BILL GATES PLEDGED $900 MILLION...........

by Sunnygal41 16 Replies latest social current

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  Sunnygal41

  Gates cash kick-starts $31 bln TB funding drive

  By Ben Hirschler 1 hour, 40 minutes ago

  DAVOS, Switzerland (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp's founder Bill Gates pledged $900 million to fight tuberculosis on Friday, kick-starting a $31 billion funding drive against a disease which kills one person every 15 seconds.

  Tuberculosis has reached alarming proportions in Africa and other poor countries, where co-infection with HIV / AIDS makes a deadly combination.

  "This is a very tough disease. It is going to take all of us -- private sector, the pharmaceutical companies, philanthropy and governments in countries that have the disease -- to participate as well," Gates told reporters at the

  World Economic Forum in Davos.

  Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo and British finance minister Gordon Brown called on world leaders to back the new World Health Organization action plan, which aims to treat 50 million people and prevent 14 million deaths worldwide over the next 10 years.

  WHO believes the project can break the back of tuberculosis globally but full implementation would cost an estimated $56 billion over the next decade, including $47 billion for controlling the disease and $9 billion for research into new drugs and vaccines. That represents an overall increase of $31 billion over currently projected funding.

  Marcos Espinal of the WHO said the first goal was to increase drug provision, since tuberculosis -- which is spread by coughing and sneezing -- was a curable disease in the vast majority of cases.

  Most of the 2 million people who die of it each year live in the developing world.

  New therapies are badly needed, too, because strains of tuberculosis are now circulating which are resistant to existing drugs, while the only vaccine available does not work very well.

  Espinal said scientific research was now starting to deliver results, with a total of 27 new TB drugs in development and four vaccines in early-stage clinical trials.

  Brown intends to put the case for new cash to fight the disease to next month's meeting of G8 finance ministers in Moscow. "If 2005 was the year of commitments, 2006 must be the year of delivery," he said.

  "That's why, when the G8 finance ministers meet in Moscow in only a few days time, I will put on the agenda how we can meet the commitments to fund this specific plan."

  Brown also said he would propose to the G8 ministers expanding a debt relief agreement made last year to some of the world's poorest nations.

  Britain on Thursday pledged 41.7 million pounds ($74.43 million) to tackle tuberculosis in India.
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  Elsewhere

  Bill Gates pledged $900 million to fight tuberculosis

  Damn!

  That's no chump change!!!
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  littlerockguy

  That's no chump change!!!

  To CEO tycoons like him it is.
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  Gretchen956

  Thing about Bill is he does this routinely. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation gives out huge unbelievable amounts of money. Between them and Bono no one gives more. Its why even if you don't like Microsoft its hard not to like Bill.

  Sherry
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  Gretchen956

  Some of the health information from the Gates Foundation:

  The Foundation’s ApproachThe Gates Foundation is guided by our firm belief that all lives, no matter where they are lived, have equal value. Our global health mission is to help ensure that lifesaving advances in health are created and shared with those who need them most.

  To date, the foundation has committed $6 billion in global health grants to organizations worldwide. Our grantmaking strategy focuses on two main areas:

  • Supporting research: Funding for basic and clinical research to develop vaccines, drugs, and other health tools to fight diseases that cause the greatest illness and death in developing countries
  • Accelerating access: Funding to ensure that new and existing health interventions and technologies are made widely available in the developing world

  GLOBAL HEALTH GRANTS

  MalariaOne of our top priorities is to fight malaria, a disease that kills 2,000 African children every day. Malaria research has gained urgency with growing resistance to the most widely-used, inexpensive treatments. Foundation grantees are working to speed R&D on new prevention and treatment methods, and to expand access to existing malaria control tools such as bednets. Grant examples include:

  • $258 million to the Malaria Vaccine Initiative to develop a malaria vaccine
  • $165 million for the Medicines for Malaria Venture to develop new drugs
  • $35 million for the Malaria Control and Evaluation Partnership in Zambia, a model program to expand access to malaria control strategies

  HIV/AIDSHIV/AIDS kills more than three million people every year, 99% of them in developing countries. The foundation is committed to fighting HIV/AIDS by expanding access to prevention and treatment and supporting research on new prevention tools. Grant examples include:

  • $200 million to establish Avahan, a national HIV prevention initiative in India
  • $50 million for the African Comprehensive HIV/AIDS Partnerships, a model HIV prevention and treatment program in Botswana
  • $165.2 million for the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative
  • $124 million for research on microbicides to prevent HIV transmission

  The foundation is also an active member of the Global HIV Vaccine Enterprise, a new partnership of funders and research groups formed to accelerate HIV vaccine research.

  Tuberculosis
  TB kills someone every 18 seconds, and is projected to cause 35 million deaths between 2000 and 2020. The foundation supports efforts to develop new TB drugs, vaccines, and diagnostic tools, and to strengthen TB control programs. Grant examples include:

  • $82.9 million to the Aeras Global TB Vaccine Foundation for vaccine development
  • $48 million to improve TB control strategies in communities with high rates of HIV/AIDS
  • $25 million for the Global Alliance for TB Drug Development to develop effective and affordable medications
  • $23 million for the Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics to develop low-cost methods for diagnosing TB

  Immunization
  Each year, more than 27 million children do not receive basic immunizations, resulting in more than two million deaths. To help provide lifesaving vaccines to all children, the foundation has provided $1.5 billion to the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization, a public-private partnership that helps developing countries purchase and deliver vaccines. GAVI has helped immunize tens of millions of children, saving an estimated one million lives since 2000.
  
  Child healthChildren bear the greatest health burden in poor countries. Four million newborns die each year, 99% of them in developing countries – this is equivalent to the number of babies born in the U.S. annually. Three out of four newborn deaths are preventable with low-cost tools such as antibiotics and clean childbirth kits. Examples of the foundation’s grants for child health include:

  • $110 million for Save the Children to expand access to simple, low-cost tools to improve newborn health in developing countries
  • $24.3 million to PATH for grassroots newborn health projects in India

  Reproductive and maternal healthMore than 500,000 women die annually from complications of pregnancy and childbirth. In addition, millions of people in poor countries lack access to contraceptives and reproductive health information. The foundation provides grants to reduce pregnancy-related illness and death, increase access to contraceptives, and develop improved contraceptives. Grant examples include:

  • $40 million for Johns Hopkins University to support reproductive health programs in developing countries
  • $12 million to CONRAD to develop new, low-cost contraceptives

  NutritionPoor nutrition contributes to about half of deaths among young children in poor countries. The foundation provides grants to improve nutrition by accelerating development and production of foods fortified with essential nutrients, and developing staple crops with high micronutrient levels. Grant examples include:

  • $50 million to the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition to strengthen food fortification programs
  • $25 million to the International Food Policy Research Institute to increase micronutrient levels in staple crops

  Additional grantmaking areas

  • Breakthrough science: Funding for research on scientific problems that, if solved, could lead to advances against multiple diseases. Grants include $450 million for the Grand Challenges in Global Health initiative, which supports a wide range of innovative projects, such as research to stop insects from transmitting disease, and the development of vaccines that do not require refrigeration.
  • Acute diarrheal illness: Grants to prevent and treat severe diarrhea and diarrhea-related dehydration, which kill two to three million children annually
  • Acute lower respiratory infections: Grants to improve prevention and treatment of pneumonia and other acute lower respiratory infections, which kill approximately two million children every year
  • Other infectious diseases: Funding to develop vaccines, drugs, and other tools to fight neglected diseases such as visceral leishmaniasis (“black fever”), schistosomiasis, and human papillomavirus
  • Advocacy: Grants to build awareness and understanding of global health challenges, develop strategies for financing global health programs, and improve the collection and use of health data
  • Emergency relief: Grants to help developing countries respond quickly to natural and man-made disasters

  Revised: December 2005
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  seattleniceguy

  Britain on Thursday pledged 41.7 million pounds ($74.43 million) to tackle tuberculosis in India.

  Pretty awesome when one dude pledges 12 times more than an entire nation! :-)

  SNG
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  kittyeatzjdubs

  i like ol' bill. he's good people.

  

  luv, jojo
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  SixofNine

  "Thing about Bill is he does this routinely. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation gives out huge unbelievable amounts of money. Between them and Bono no one gives more. Its why even if you don't like Microsoft its hard not to like Bill. "

  Agree.
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  stillajwexelder

  So take note -there are some good Americans
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  Saoirse

  Maybe we should write Bill and see if he'll lend some money to start up a treatment center or a safehouse for recovering or escaping JWs.