U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator Ambassador Eric Goosby pledged an additional $75 million for preventing mother-to-child transmission during the 2011 High Level Meeting on AIDS. World leaders gathered in New York for the June 8-10 meeting committed to a global action plan that will make significant strides towards eliminating new HIV infections among children by 2015 and keeping their mothers alive.
Nearly every minute, a baby is born with HIV. A child dies of AIDS every two minutes and one of every five maternal deaths in Africa is HIV-related. Neither technical or scientific barriers stand in the way of eliminating pediatric AIDS worldwide. Pediatric HIV was virtually eliminated, with fewer than 150 new cases per year, in the United States and Europe more than a decade ago.
The world has made incredible progress in closing the gap in developing countries thanks in great part to the commitment of the American people. In fiscal year 2010, the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) programs focused on preventing mother-to-child-transmission directly supported services that led to more than 114,000 children estimated to have been born free of HIV.
The key elements of the global action plan include:
The global action plan includes a detailed timetable for action at community, national, regional and global levels to ensure rapid progress towards elimination of new HIV infections in children by 2015 and keeping HIV positive mothers alive.
During the event, Ambassador Goosby released a new trailer produced by Warner Bros. on the PEPFAR program. In addition to this week’s U.S. contribution for the prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation pledged $40 million, Johnson & Johnson added $15 million, and Chevron committed $20 million.