Children walk through the stilted village of Hanuabada near Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, Saturday, Sept. 12, 2015. [Photo Credit: AAP Image/Mick Tsikas]

Australians have little knowledge of the threat on their doorstep from the world’s deadliest infectious diseases and it has a crucial role in fighting them, the head of a global health partnership says.

Lady Ros Morauta, chair of the Global Fund to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria, is visiting Australia this week to lobby MPs to increase our contribution to its work.

“These diseases are a huge threat to Australia,” she told AAP.

“HIV, for example – there are heaps of Australians who go to PNG and to Fiji, and the increase in HIV in those two countries in the last couple of years is extraordinary.”

The Global Fund’s Indo-Pacific regional impact report, released on Monday, exposes the urgent health emergencies on Australia’s doorstep.

Papua New Guinea recorded 11,000 new HIV cases in 2024 and declared a national HIV crisis in June, while Fiji declared an HIV outbreak in January after almost 1600 new infections last year.

TB remains PNG’s leading cause of death, with its health minister declaring “a war” on TB in June.

Lady Ros, who has lived in PNG for 43 years and was the nation’s first lady from 1999 to 2002, said Global Fund’s impact as a multilateral funder of global health grants had been “amazing”.

Over the last two decades, the Global Fund partnership has saved 65 million lives and cut the combined death rate from AIDS, TB and malaria by 61 per cent, she said.

“It’s the most fantastic organisation, because it’s very much country-led, country-focused and performance-driven. It’s not the donor saying, ‘oh, you should do this’, she said.

Funding is based on a national plan put forward by the nation, and implemented by government agencies and the private sector.

“If you say you’re going to distribute half a million mosquito nets, you have to distribute them for the next lot of money to come,” Lady Ros said.

There were still huge health challenges in the region, and Australia should support its neighbours by tackling them, she added.

Australia pledged $266 million for 2023-2025, and the fund is now seeking $330 million for its next funding cycle.

“Australia has been a donor to the Global Fund from the very beginning – and it’s in Australia’s interest, as well as being the right thing to do,” Lady Ros said.

Australia is expected to announce its next pledge to the fund in 2025.

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