Everyday, millions of people who live in tightly cramped quarters pack into overloaded buses to work in a garment factories. This makes for a perfect breeding ground for TB.
HIV/AIDS prevalence in Bangladesh is relatively low. However, the large migrant population is a significant cause of new HIV infections, and as of now there are no national programs that target intervention of Bangladeshi migrant workers.
As I write, I am en route to Bangladesh, courtesy of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria. I will be visiting several programs in Dhaka and Chittigong that the Global Fund supports to prevent and treat those three deadly diseases.
U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator Eric Goosby said today, "There is no stronger supporter of the Global Fund than the United States." He is right. But it would appear that the global financial crisis is taking a big hit on the Global Fund's ability to raise money.
How much will the global financial crisis impact funding for the fight against AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria? By the end of next week, we may have a fairly precise answer to that question when donors meet for a replenishment conference of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
