Preventing mother to child transmission

Just days after World AIDS Day, the 19th International Conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa (ICASA) has opened in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire.

At the opening ceremony, UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé implored the audience not to let ongoing political and social troubles threaten the many achievements made in the AIDS response. In his speech, he laid out key priorities, including ensuring that women and adolescents be better protected from HIV, and demanded more space for civil society, crediting civil society’s huge impact in the AIDS response.

ICASA, a biennial gathering that this year will be held from 4 to 9 December, brings together people working in the field of HIV, as well as leaders, people living with HIV, activists and representatives of civil society. In addition, researchers from around the world will share the latest scientific advances to develop strategies to further HIV prevention and treatment options. More than 4000 delegates from more than 125 countries have gathered for the event. 

UNAIDS is hosting several sessions during the conference to discuss the western and central Africa HIV catch-up plan. Other events organized by UNAIDS at ICASA include sessions on reinvigorating HIV prevention following the Prevention Coalition initiative, innovative partnerships to drive male engagement, ending the AIDS epidemic among children and young women under the Start Free, Stay Free, AIDS Free framework and achieving the Fast-Track Targets in cities.

Abidjan is playing host to ICASA for the second time. In the ICASA held in 1997, the then French President, Jacques Chirac, denounced the injustices experienced by people living with HIV in Africa. 

Mediaplanet has today launched a new campaign to raise awareness about maternal health around the world.

Created in partnership with UNAIDS and other international organisations, the campaign looks at a range of case studies on issues affecting pregnant women and mothers, and draws on insights from community health-care providers, as well as public health advocates.

Participating in the campaign, UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé said: “We need to reinforce the interface between health service providers and the community to better monitor what is going on in each community. That way we can quickly make sure that pregnant women have access to health services and monitor them not only for HIV, but for all health issues.”

According to UNAIDS’ latest report, Ending AIDS: progress towards the 90-90-90 targets, around 76% of pregnant women living with HIV had access to antiretroviral medicines in 2016, up from 47% in 2010. In addition, five high burden countries—Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland and Uganda—have met the milestone of diagnosing and providing lifelong antiretroviral therapy to 95% of pregnant and breastfeeding women living with HIV. Nonetheless, AIDS-related illnesses remain the leading cause of death among women of reproductive age (15–49 years) globally.

“People have to be courageous and speak up for sexual education and highlight just how critical it is,” said Mr Sidibé. “We have to make sure that girls have access to information early and give them the skills to help them deal with their sexuality in a more empowered manner.”

UNAIDS is working with a broad range of partners, including governments, civil society, the United States President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, to ensure that women and girls everywhere are empowered and enabled to protect themselves against HIV and that all women and girls living with HIV have immediate access to treatment.

The campaign is available online and will be distributed as a printed supplement in today’s edition of the Guardian.