"Lives in the Balance" outlines the dire situation for people affected by HIV and tuberculosis (TB) in Myanmar.
The UN estimates that over the last few years between 15,000–20,000 people living with HIV die annually in Myanmar, because of lack of access to urgent lifesaving antiretroviral therapy (ART).
"Lives in the Balance" outlines the situation for people affected by HIV and tuberculosis (TB), with a special focus on multidrug-resistant TB (MDR-TB), in Myanmar today. It calls for urgent funding and assistance to be made available by the international donor community to help Myanmar close the devastating gap between people’s need and people’s access to treatment for HIV and TB.
An estimated 120,000 people living with HIV/AIDS are in need of lifesaving ART in Myanmar. In 2010, according to national estimates fewer than 30,000 of these received it.
Meanwhile, TB prevalence in Myanmar is nearly three times the global average, and the country has high levels of MDR-TB. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that there are 9,300 new cases of MDR-TB in Myanmar each year. By 2010, 192 MDR-TB patients had been started on treatment. Unpublished figures indicate that by the end of 2011, this had increased to over 300. This remains far short of what is needed.