BUSINESS WIRE; Wednesday November 26, 3:46 pm Eastern Time
Ninety-one percent of these children contracted the HIV virus from their mother during pregnancy, birth or through breastfeeding.
"Give Children Hope in a World with AIDS," is the theme of World AIDS Day, December 1, emphasizing the hope of preventing and finding a cure for HIV/AIDS to minimize the impact of the epidemic on children, their families and their communities.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced last week that the rate at which newborn children develop AIDS has dropped by 43 percent since 1992 nationally, because of AZT drug therapy. According to the report, much larger numbers of pregnant women are volunteering to be tested for HIV and are agreeing to take AZT. If an infected woman receives AZT therapy during pregnancy and delivery, and if the infant receives it after birth, the chances of the infant becoming infected are drastically reduced.
"It is wonderful that we have a tool that can effectively prevent transmission from mother to child, but the best way of preventing the tragedy in children is to keep more adults from getting HIV," said Kathleen E. Toomey, M.D., M.P.H., director of the Georgia Department of Human Resources Division of Public Health.
"Recent studies have shown that 40 percent of new HIV infections could have been prevented by simply treating underlying sexually transmitted diseases, like chlamydia and gonorrhea," Toomey added. "STDs make HIV transmission through sexual contact more likely."
This year DHR's World AIDS Day activities focus on preventing transmission of HIV from mother to child. DHR will have a World AIDS Day Forum for health providers Monday, December 1, 1997, 2-5 p.m. The forum will be at the Fulton County Health Department, 99 Butler Street in Atlanta.
Prevention is also a major issue outside of metro Atlanta because 45 percent of the women and 50 percent of children and adolescents with AIDS live outside of the Atlanta area.
In Dodge County, the National High School AIDS memorial quilt will be on display at the National Guard Armory from December 1-4. This is the first time the quilt will be on display in Georgia.
The Columbus Wellness Center Outreach and Prevention Project is sponsoring "Your Two Cents" for prevention, by distributing some 2,000 red ribbons with two pennies attached and a card asking each person to contribute prevention advice and learn more about HIV/AIDS awareness.
"Each year we have to work harder not only to have an effective prevention message but just to make sure it gets to those who need it," said Luella Rhodes, executive director of the Columbus Wellness Center. "The most powerful vehicle of delivery has been adolescents who work with their peers."
Health educators throughout Georgia emphasize that the most important steps individuals can take to reduce the number of children born with HIV is to practice safer sex, stay away from drugs, and get tested. HIV counseling and testing are available at every county health department.
Contact: DHR Office of Communications Bernadette Burden, 404/656-4937
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