Last week, the United Nations signed a partnership deal with a variety of charities, academic institutions, and non-governmental organizations, all committed to ending mother-to-child transmission of HIV.
The deal represents the United Nations’ determination to meet its commitment to reversing the spread of AIDS as part of the Millennium Development Goals.
As it stands, 2 million people die of AIDS each year. And, in the past 30 years, AIDS has claimed the lives of over 25 million people.
Each year, 300 000 babies are born with the HIV virus that will turn into AIDS; for some of them (roughly a third), the disease will progress so quickly that they won’t make it past their first birthdays.
Globally, nearly a decade ago, there were 13.2 million orphaned children; in less than a year, that number is expected to double. Today there are 12 million living in Africa alone.
Southern Africa especially has been particularly hard hit by the AIDS pandemic. Some of the underlying causes include the chronic food insecurity brought about by desertification, high levels of unemployment brought about by the downsizing of staple industries as well as the general lack of economic opportunities and education, lack of public health, inaccessibility of condoms and family planning, unfaithful relationships, and poverty-induced prostitution.
The small land-locked country of Lesotho, for example, is home to 180 000 orphaned children. 55% of these children have lost at least one parent to HIV/AIDS; many of them have lost both.
Nearly a quarter of Lesotho’s population is HIV-positive—that’s nearly 500 000 people. In addition to Lesotho, countries facing rising AIDS rates include Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.
One major obstacle in combating AIDs is that the anti-retroviral drugs needed to treat the disease are not making it to three quarters of the people who need them, despite the fact that these drugs have been available for over a decade. High prices keep them out of reach to so many affected families that have trouble paying for food, water, clothing and shelter on a regular basis, let alone pharmaceutical drugs.
Part of what helped drive the formation of this UN global pact is the mounting impact of HIV in Asia in addition to Africa. 50 million women on the continent may become infected with HIV from either their husbands or long-term partners—indicative of a growing sex industry and extra-marital affairs perhaps, or inadequate testing.
Of course, Africa remains the worst affected. Two-thirds of the HIV-positive population live on the continent.
In order to meet the UN’s goal to prevent mother-to-child transmission, a reduction in the HIV prevalence of young women must be effected; unwanted pregnancies must be prevented; better antenatal and delivery care for women must be established; and, educating new mothers on how to decrease the likelihood of transmission is essential.