IAS JOINS CALLS TO ELIMINATE MOTHER TO CHILD TRANSMISSION OF HIV
26 May 2009 (Geneva, Switzerland) - The International AIDS Society (IAS) today joined
the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) in its call for the elimination of mother to child transmission of HIV.
"There is overwhelming scientific evidence to show that providing antiretroviral treatment to pregnant women will both save the woman's life and prevent her
unborn child from becoming infected. This treatment is available and affordable, yet too many countries have reported that less than 25% of HIV-positive pregnant women received it.
In fact, in 2007, only 21% of women in low- and middle-income countries were routinely tested for HIV as part of their pre-natal care," said Dr Julio Montaner, IAS President and
Director of the Canadian-based British Columbia Center for Excellence (BC-CfE) in HIV/AIDS.
"It is our moral obligation to make every effort to prevent this needless loss of life and to protect the health of mothers and their children. Each AIDS-related
maternal death, and each new HIV infection of a newborn or infant is a needless tragedy," said Dr Montaner.
Dr. Montaner went further in calling for dramatically scaled up HIV testing and the availability of treatment for all HIV-positive persons. "HIV is a disease that
affects the whole family, the whole community. Making treatment available to everyone who is ready to adhere to the medications, and well before any clinical symptoms of HIV disease, will
keep people alive and productive in their communities. We must fight to ensure that the human rights of people living with and most affected by HIV are protected by legislation and policy so
that more people come forward for testing, and so that testing can be offered routinely and ethically in health care settings. Early testing and treatment will contribute to more effective prevention,
especially when combined with other proven preventative interventions."
The IAS is the world's leading independent association of HIV professionals, with over 13,000 members in 188 countries working at all levels of the global response to HIV/AIDS. IAS members
represent scientists, clinicians, public health, policy experts and community practitioners on the frontlines of the epidemic. The IAS is the lead organizer of the International AIDS Conference and the IAS Conference
on HIV Pathogenesis, Treatment and Prevention.
Ends
For more information,
Karen Bennett
Senior Communications Manager
International AIDS Society
Tel: +41 79 599 8879
Email: Karen.bennett@iasociety.org
"Reproduced with permission - International AIDS Society"
International AIDS Society
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