HIV is receiving relatively too much money, with much of it used inefficiently and sometimes counterproductively. Data from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development show that 21% of health aid was allocated to HIV in 2004, up from 8% in 2000.1 It could now exceed a quarter. Yet HIV constitutes only 5% of the burden of disease in low and middle income countries as measured by disability adjusted life years lost (DALYs),2 less than that for respiratory infections, perinatal conditions, or ischaemic heart disease. It causes 2.8 million deaths a year worldwide—fewer than the number of stillbirths, and much less than half the number of infant deaths.2 More deaths are attributable to diabetes than to HIV.3

Even within sub-Saharan Africa, HIV funding is out of balance. HIV is the biggest single killer, contributing 17.6% of the …