International AIDS and Economics Network Special Issue

Posted 30 November 2019 by NISC under Announcements & Notices • Journal: African Journal of AIDS Research

The International AIDS Economics Network (IAEN) has collaborated with the African Journal of AIDS Research to bring you a special issue titled, “A sustainable AIDS response: results in the era of shrinking donor funding”.

Guest Edited by Steven Forsythe and Iris Semini the 13 articles within this special issue represent the true diversity of work that exists in the field of AIDS and economics. The articles reflect the evolution that has occurred, and continues to occur, in this area.

Having started in 1993, IAEN had a handful of researchers who identified themselves as “AIDS economists”. In the early days the organisation comprised mostly of male health economists from developed countries. Today it comprises male and female researchers and policymakers, mostly from developing countries.

This special issue speaks to not only the IAEN’s growth but to the growth of the infected population. “In 1993, there were approximately 11.5 million people living with HIV, none of whom were receiving combination antiretroviral therapy (cART). The number of infected individuals has tripled since then, reaching 37.9 million by 2018,” said Forsythe and Semini in their commentary.

The topic of the special issue, “A Sustainable AIDS Response” reflects what is recognised as one of the most critical issues in the area of HIV/AIDS today. HIV/AIDS resources applied to the pandemic in low- and middle-income countries grew from $4.5 billion in 2000 to $18.5 billion in 2013 but have remained stagnant since, despite an increasing commitment by developing countries themselves.

The papers in this special issue represent the commitment of various researchers, from developing, and developed countries, to finally achieve epidemic control and end AIDS as a public health threat.

“Economic analyses have never been so vital to the sustainability of the global response. Without a solid understanding of the costs, resource generation will be based on “guesswork.” Without further cost-effectiveness studies, countries will be unable to allocate resources to achieve the greatest possible impact. Without further analyses, there can’t be the needed planning to assure that financial sustainability is achieved.”

The articles contained in this special issue are available to read at no charge until the end of January 2020. They are listed below and can be seen at the indicated links.

Editorial – A sustainable AIDS response: results in the era of shrinking donor funding

Developing the Global Health Cost Consortium Unit Cost Study Repository for HIV and TB: methodology and lessons learned

The state of costing research for HIV interventions in sub-Saharan Africa

Using information on ART costs and benefits to mobilise resources – comparing different methods and contexts

A meta-analysis approach for estimating average unit costs for ART using pooled facility-level primary data from African countries

HIV treatment support services in Tanzania: a cost and efficiency analysis at facility and community levels

Which delivery model innovations can support sustainable HIV treatment?

The costs of home-based HIV testing and counselling in sub-Saharan Africa and its association with testing yield: a literature review

HIV testing preferences among pregnant women attending antenatal care and their male partners: a discrete choice experiment in Uganda

Meta-analysis of average costs of HIV testing and counselling and voluntary medical male circumcision across thirteen countries

Smart cascades: using cost analysis to improve HIV care and treatment interventions to achieve global 95–95–95

Planning and sustaining HIV response in the countries of the “risky middle”