[pronut-hiv] UNICEF Urges G8 To Recommit To Preventing Mother-to-Child HIV Transmission

["ProNut-HIV" <pronut-hiv@healthnet.org>]

Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report
 
Global Challenges | UNICEF Urges G8 To Recommit To Preventing
Mother-to-Child HIV Transmission
[Feb 29, 2008] 

      The United Kingdom office of UNICEF ( http://www.unicef.org/ )
has launched a campaign that calls on the U.K. government to ensure the
Group of Eight industrialized nations fulfills its pledge to provide all
HIV-positive pregnant women with access to antiretroviral drugs to
prevent mother-to-child transmission of the virus, VOA News (
http://www.voanews.com/english/2008-02-27-voa49.cfm ) reports. UNICEF
U.K. Ambassador Jemima Khan launched the campaign with the unveiling of
a four-minute film called "The Gift." The film follows the story of an
HIV-positive woman, named Mathakane Metsing, in Lesotho who gave birth
to an HIV-negative infant because she had access to the antiretroviral
nevirapine (Maphosa, VOA News, 2/27). 

UNICEF also has launched a petition calling on U.K. Chancellor Alistair
Darling to ensure that G8 countries commit to provide about 760 million
pounds, or about $1.5 billion, for universal access to drugs to prevent
MTCT, Metro.co.uk (
http://www.metro.co.uk/news/article.html?in_article_id=105354 )
reports. The United Kingdom has pledged to provide 46 million pounds, or
about $92 million, to the project by 2010. Actress Gwyneth Paltrow, Sir
Roger Moore, Khan and other celebrities have joined to support the film
and the petition ahead of Mother's Day (Metro.co.uk, 2/26).

UNICEF U.K. Communications Director Angela Travis said, "What we are
doing with this launch and with this campaign is to try and keep up the
pressure on the G8 leaders to fulfill the commitment made in 2007."
Metsing, who works as a peer counselor for the group Mothers to Mothers,
said that the major challenges facing women in Lesotho are
discrimination, lack of education and limited access to drugs that help
MTCT. "I am here today because I don't want to see more babies dying,"
Metsing said, adding, "I am pleading to world leaders to give the money
they promised."

The movie, which is narrated by Paltrow, says, "Almost every minute of
every day a baby is born with HIV. World leaders promised to prevent
this. We need them to keep their promise and give all babies the chance
to be born free of HIV. Tell world leaders to keep their promise" (VOA
News, 2/27). Khan said, "All that's needed now is funding and political
will. World leaders promised to help, but we are yet to see any concrete
action or money." Paltrow added, "I hope that this new short film will
raise awareness and funds about this issue and UNICEF will be able to
reach every woman with the vital care and medicines they need"
(Metro.co.uk, 2/26).