Clinton Foundation, Pakistan Reach Agreement for Program To Fight HIV/AIDS
Pakistan's government on Friday reached an agreement to join the Clinton Foundation's HIV/AIDS initiative, which former president Bill Clinton said will help the country to negotiate a 70% lower rate on antiretroviral drugs and HIV tests than it currently pays, the Associated Press reports. As part of the agreement, the Pakistani government will guarantee that the drugs are not resold outside the country. "This [agreement] is going to have a huge impact ... on other nations," Clinton said at a signing ceremony in Islamabad, adding, "You have no idea how many lives may be saved by this, very far from your borders here, because this government has been foresighted and courageous enough to deal with this issue in this way." Pakistan has 20,000 to 50,000 recorded HIV cases in a population of 150 million, according to Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, who signed the agreement on behalf of his government. Aziz added, "In Pakistan, [HIV/AIDS] is not widespread because we are trying to create awareness before it becomes a serious problem." An increasing number of people at risk for the virus in Pakistan are injection drug users, according to the Associated Press. The country is the 52nd country to sign on to the foundation's HIV/AIDS initiative (Associated Press, 2/17).
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