Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2009. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
UNAIDS - 23 September 2009
"Around the world only a third of women living with HIV receive the necessary treatment to prevent the transmission. IsnÆt it an immense injustice, that thousands of children still are born with HIV, when treatment exists, when no baby needs to be born with HIV?" asked the First Lady of France and the Global FundÆs Ambassador for the protection of mothers and children against AIDS. Ms Bruni-Sarkozy called on global leaders to double the number of HIV-positive pregnant women who receive effective antiretroviral treatment within 18 months.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called for a more ambitious approach: "We have effective drugs. There is no reason why any mother should die of AIDS. There is no cause for any child to be born with HIV," he said. "If we work hard enough we can virtually eliminate mother-to-child transmission."
Community member Christina Rodriguez, 17 years-old, from New York called for access to services for young people, and shared a moving personal testimony from Keren Gonzalez, 13 years-old, from Honduras, who could not attend the meeting. Morolake Odetoyinbo from Nigeria highlighted the importance of provinding treatment, care and support for mothers living with HIV so that they can stay alive and take care of their children, and called for urgent leadership to deliver on this life-saving commitment.
Other leaders participated in the event including President Sarkozy of France, President Abdoulaye Wade of Senegal, Prime Minister Balkenende of the Netherlands, as well as First Ladies of several countries.
Countries will work with the Global Fund, UNAIDS and UNICEF support to ensure rapid scale-up of programmes to prevent transmission of HIV from mothers to children. The Global Fund will support the switch from single-dose Nevirapine to more effective dual and triple therapy regimens in the next 18 months. More emphasis and funds will be applied to comprehensive programmes addressing reproductive health and the strengthening of maternal and child health services.
Executive Director Michel Sidibe UNAIDS has made the prevention of mothers from dying and babies from becoming infected with HIV a priority and it is one of the nine priority areas in the UNAIDS Outcome Framework 2009-2011.
Resources:
Policy and guidance:
Prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV - http://www.unaids.org/en/PolicyAndPractice/Prevention/PMTCT/
Related information:
Children and orphans - http://www.unaids.org/en/PolicyAndPractice/KeyPopulations/ChildAn dOrphans/
Women and girls - http://www.unaids.org/en/PolicyAndPractice/KeyPopulations/WomenGi rls/
Cosponsors:
UNICEF - http://www.unaids.org/en/Cosponsors/UNICEF/default.asp
WHO - http://www.unaids.org/en/Cosponsors/WHO/default.asp
Partners:
The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria - http://www.theglobalfund.org/en/
Feature stories:
UNAIDS/Millennium Villages Project join forces to keep babies free from HIV in Africa (21 September 2009) - http://www.unaids.org/en/KnowledgeCentre/Resources/FeatureStories /archive/2009/20090918_millenium_villages.asp
Deputy President of South Africa echoes UNAIDS priorities at international AIDS conference (20 July 2009) - http://www.aegis.org/news/unaids/2009/UN090721.html
Lesotho: HIV free babies bring hope (16 July 2009) - http://www.aegis.org/news/unaids/2009/UN090718.html
Press centre:
UNAIDS/Millennium Villages Project join forces to keep babies free from HIV in Africa (21 September 2009) - http://www.aegis.org/news/unaids/2009/UN090915.html
UNAIDS calls for a virtual elimination of mother to child transmission of HIV by 2015 (21 May 2009) - http://www.unaids.org/en/KnowledgeCentre/Resources/PressCentre/Pr essReleases/2009/20090521_PriorityAreas.asp
Statements:
Remarks by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon at "A call to action: Protecting mothers and children against AIDS" United Nations, New York, Wednesday 23 September. - http://www.un.org/apps/sg/sgstats.asp?nid=4094#
Speech by Carla Bruni-Sarkozy "A call to action: Protecting mothers and children against AIDS". United Nations, New York, Wednesday 23 September. - http://www.theglobalfund.org/content/pressreleases/pr_090922_en.p df
Statement from Keren Dunaway Gonzalez, 13 years old, Honduras. Read by Christina Rodriguez in New York, 23 September 2009. - http://data.unaids.org/pub/BaseDocument/2009/20090923_sp_gonzalez _en.pdf
Publications:
Joint action for results: UNAIDS outcome framework, 2009 û 2011 (pdf, 432 Kb.) - http://data.unaids.org/pub/Report/2009/jc1713_joint_action_en.pdf
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