December 1 marks World AIDS Day. A day of worldwide solidarity to unite in the fight against HIV. With a new set of global targets for 2030, it is more important than ever to galvanize support around this day with an eye towards the future — Envisioning the world we want to have in the next 15 years.
- Globally, women are increasingly affected by HIV. 17.3 million of adults living with AIDS are women — almost half of the total of 38.6 million. That number has increased in every region in the world over the past two years.1
- In Swaziland, HIV prevalence among pregnant women attending antenatal clinics arose from 4% in 1992 to 43% in 2004.2
- Each day, 1800 children worldwide become infected with HIV — the vast majority of them newborns. In 2005, 9% of pregnant women in low- and middle-income countries were offered services to prevent transmission to their newborns.3
- Currently, children under 15 account for one in six AIDs-related deaths worldwide and one in seven new HIV infections — mostly through mother-to-child transmission.4
- A study in India found that while nearly 90% of HIV-positive women were infected by their husbands, they faced more stigma and discrimination than men.5
While mother-to-child transmission of HIV has been nearly eliminated from industrialized countries, progress has been slower in many African countries. Nearly 1.3 million cases of HIV have been averted as a result of the scale-up of programs to prevent mother-to-child-transmission of HIV. However, less than 50 percent of exposed infants under 2 months are tested for HIV.
Join us to spread the word about the continued fight against AIDS using #EveryNewborn, #HIVprevention and #WorldAIDSDay.
Resources
- HIV/AIDS and Maternal, Newborn & Child Health – The Partnership
- World AIDS Day 2016 – UNAIDS
- Prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV/AIDS – Healthy Newborn Network