Ending vertical transmission of HIV

New York, June 9, 2011 – World leaders gathered at the United Nations this week must ensure that they have a road map and funding in place to deliver on their stated commitments to end vertical transmission of HIV.

Working in partnership with the International Treatment Preparedness Coalition (ITPC), community-based researchers in Cameroon, Ethiopia and Nigeria collected testimonies that reveal gaps between national policies on vertical transmission and the lived experiences of women and health care providers.

“We welcome our President’s renewed commitment at the United Nations this week to Nigeria’s ambitious national targets aimed at ending vertical transmission of HIV by 2015,” said Abosede Oladayo of the Olive Leaf Charity Foundation in Nigeria and a member of the ITPC research team. “We now need our government and others in Africa to tackle the multiple barriers, such as the cost of antenatal care and the stigma that women in our communities face when accessing these services.”

In 2010, the World Health Organization (WHO) updated guidelines on prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV based on the latest science and the need to put women’s health at the center of these programs.

“Recent scientific evidence on the broad health and prevention benefits of earlier initiation of HIV treatment should serve as a clarion call to governments to adopt the new WHO guidelines on preventing vertical transmission,” said Aditi Sharma, of ITPC. “As governments agree a global plan for ending vertical transmission they must ensure that women are provided with the most effective drugs both to prevent transmission to their babies and for their own health and have access to the best prevention and family planning interventions available.”

Research teams in Cameroon, Ethiopia and Nigeria interviewed women, health care workers and community members on the delivery of vertical transmission programs. While there were policies to address some of the barriers to access that women highlighted, implementation was patchy. More information about the gap between policies and practice in these countries is available in the attached briefing and at four4women.org

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This press release is reprinted by Alanna Shaikh out of an obscure sense of guilt. It does not represent the opinions of Alanna Shaikh or any of her employers.