Optimizing Investments in the National HIV Response of Mexico
Despite a substantial improvement in controlling new infections of HIV over the last ten years, Mexico is experiencing a low-level epidemic with approximately 180,000 people living with HIV (Spectrum, 2013), making it the fourth ranking country in...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Working Paper |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
World Bank, Washington, DC
2018
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/589341525774988849/Optimizing-investments-in-the-national-HIV-response-of-Mexico http://hdl.handle.net/10986/29821 |
| Summary: | Despite a substantial improvement in
controlling new infections of HIV over the last ten years,
Mexico is experiencing a low-level epidemic with
approximately 180,000 people living with HIV (Spectrum,
2013), making it the fourth ranking country in Latin America
with regards to the number of people with the disease
(PLHIV). The objective of increasing coverage and reducing
inequality in the country is reflected in the objectives of
the Specific Action Program (PAE) for the national response
to HIV, AIDS and STI of 2013-2018 (Secretaria de salud),
which seeks to decrease the effect of HIV and STIs,
implement prevention strategies and provide comprehensive
care for vulnerable population groups and those living in
poverty. The possibility of achieving the objectives of the
PAE is closely related to the total amount of resources that
Mexico can commit to fighting HIV and the way these
resources are allocated. In the hopes of assisting the
Government of Mexico in further strengthening its HIV
investment, the authors try to answer the question How can
HIV funding be optimally allocated to the combination of HIV
response interventions that will yield the highest impact in
the shortest period. The study found that despite the
overall greater costs of treatment with ART, this is the
most cost-effective program. ART not only reduces deaths but
is an effective measure to prevent new infections due to the
reduction of viral load to undetectable levels. As such, the
most cost-effective allocation – with no additional
resources of current Program funds, is to scale up
treatment, by about 4 to 8 percent, to maximize ART coverage
while slightly reducing overall allocations to general
population prevention.This slight increase would avert 4,235
deaths and 3,371 new infections, and improve health outcomes
by around 6 percent. To increase the value-for-money of
existing resources, allocation efficiency would also require
the strengthening of CENSIDA´s stewardship role, to ensure
that the funds transferred are invested as they were
initially earmarked. |
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