The drug maker Merck & Company and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation have pledged $60-million in new grants to fight HIV/AIDS in Botswana, according to the Associated Press and The Wall Street Journal.

The contributions bring total spending by Merck’s foundation and the Gates institution for Botswana’s African Comprehensive HIV/AIDS Partnerships to $166.5-million.

The pharmaceuticals firm said the funds will continue the nine-year partnership’s continuing treatment and care programs and finance a second phase focused on HIV prevention and tuberculosis treatment for HIV patients. Since the effort started, the proportion of HIV-positive Botswanans receiving treatment has risen from less than 5 percent to 90 percent.

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