Increase global funding or lose fight against infectious diseases, former PMs warn

Two former British prime ministers have urged the government to increase spending on tackling Aids, tuberculosis and malaria, warning that the pandemic has seriously damaged progress made to eradicate them.

- SAMUEL LOVETT

In a letter signed by 12 other former government leaders, Gordon Brown and David Cameron said that progress against the diseases – which collectively killed 2.8 million in 2020 – was in danger of being “lost” as a result of the failure to mount a proper response post-Covid.

The letter calls for all Commonwealth Nations to increase their contributions to the Global Fund, an international partnership committed to eradicating Aids, tuberculosis and malaria, by 30 per cent. For the UK, this would mean raising its contributions from £1.46bn to £1.89bn.

“This uplift is necessary to reclaim the lost gains from Covid-19,” the leaders warn. “These losses need to be reversed, and progress towards ending Aids, TB and malaria by 2030 … must be accelerated. Allowing these diseases to move faster than our response risks millions of lives.”