Only a quarter of HIV-positive pregnant women in poorer countries receive antiretroviral therapy to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV, according to a UN report issued on April 3rd. Nevertheless, the report found that increasing numbers of HIV-positive children and expectant mothers are receiving anti-HIV drugs.
Jointly produced by the World Health Organization (WHO), UNAIDS and UNICEF, [...]
UN Urges Progress in Fighting Mother-Child Transmission
More than 2 Million Children Worldwide Living With HIV
A new United Nations report shows progress in treating children with HIV/AIDS, but says challenges remain.
The Children and AIDS report by three U.N. agencies, UNICEF, UNAIDS and the World Health Organization, says that last year 2.1 million children under the age of 15 were living with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. It estimates 290,000 [...]
Rift Over AIDS Treatment Lingers in South Africa
It has been proven that using at least two antiretroviral medications dramatically reduces the likelihood of transmitting HIV during childbirth. President Mbeki’s past sex scandal involved him having sex with an HIV-positive woman, which he denies, speaks to a government that is harming its citizens through inaction. There is a widely held belief that pharmaceutical [...]
Longer Drug Regimen Found to Help Babies Avoid HIV
Over recent years, giving an antiretroviral drug to a woman infected with the AIDS virus in labor and to her baby at birth has reduced the risk of transmitting the virus to the baby.
Yet many babies born uninfected go on to acquire H.I.V., the AIDS virus, in the lengthy period of breast feeding because of [...]