According to a report published in Geneva it was found that the world needs to pump in more money to conduct research work on diseases such as AIDS and malaria. Both are among the leading causes of death in many developing countries, especially in sub-Saharan Africa.
The report was published by the Global Forum for Health Research. Stephen Matlin, one of the authors of the report said that the tools available are limited and increasingly the available drugs are being compromised by problems of resistance, so new knowledge and technologies about the drugs, vaccines, diagnostics and, in the case of AIDS, microbicides are required.Matlin also said that concentration should be mainly on the upstream interventions such as steps needed to keep people healthy and prevent infection in the first place. But in the present scenario more money is used in the downstream interventions aimed at treatment. As the rates of infections are increasing they represent a potentially bottomless pit for funding.
Matlin points out that AIDS, malaria and some other diseases that mainly affect less developed countries are actually not being paid enough attention even though the world spends some 106 billion U.S. dollars a year on health research.
There is still an enormous gap existing between how research resources are used and the burden of diseases affecting less developed countries. He feels that this report would stimulate more drastic action that would lead ultimately to greater resources for health research to focus on neglected diseases.
