Japan has agreed to donate US $3.8 million to UNICEF to help in the fight against HIV/AIDS, malaria and immunization programs, it was announced today.

Although it was not acknowledged whether the aid comes in response to the loss of $98 million to fight HIV/AIDS and malaria following Global Fund’s decision to pull out of Burma three months ago, Carroll Long, head of UNICEF operations in Burma, said the money had come at a critical time. “Now, more than ever, we need the support of the international community to help us protect Myanmar’s [Burma's] children from HIV/AIDS, malaria, measles and other killers of children,” she said in a press statement. The money will go to areas that now face a huge shortfall in funding following Global Fund’s withdrawal.

UNICEF plans to use the money to supply 70,000 insecticide-protected bed nets to help fight malaria and, where appropriate, Nevarapine-a drug that helps prevent the transmission of HIV/AIDS from mother to child during pregnancy. The Japanese government’s latest donation means it has now given about $25 million to UNICEF’s Burma operation since 2000.