US pledges HIV research funding

America's House of Representatives has backed a $300 million package to back HIV/Aids research and testing programmes.

Funding will come from the Prevention and Wellness Fund and will address domestic cases of HIV, viral hepatitis and other STDs.

The move has been welcomed by the Aids Healthcare Foundation (AHF) which suggests that the investment will prevent up to 6,000 new infections.

Michael Weinstein, president of the AHF, said the plan is the "right thing", citing figures from the Centers for Disease Control which show that there are 56,000 new infections diagnosed each year.

"These infections result in billions of dollars in medical care and lost productivity of these individuals over the years, a fact that supports investing in prevention, testing and health care as part of a prudent overall legislative economic recovery package."

AHF is the largest HIV/Aids charity in the US and also provides support for patients in Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean and Asia.

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