Foundation Blog
News, commentary, and voices in the efforts to eliminate HIV and AIDS in children worldwide.
Posted by
Robert Yule
Washington, D.C.
July 12, 2010
On Sunday,
the New Jersey Star-Ledger profiled the Belfiore family, longtime friends and supporters of the Foundation.
In 1990, Susan and Bill Belfiore adopted four HIV-positive toddlers from Romania, none of whom were expected to survive past childhood. Twenty years later, Ramona, Ionel, Mihaela, and Loredana are healthy young adults, and they and their younger brother Aidan all have bright futures ahead of them.
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Posted by
Robert Yule
Washington, D.C.
July 9, 2010
The
LA Times and other major news outlets reported today on the discovery of two, naturally-occurring antibodies that kill 90 percent of all strains of HIV.
Federal researchers at the Vaccine Research Center – overseen by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health – identified the antibodies, and their findings were published yesterday in the online edition of the journal
Science.
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Posted by
Robert Yule
Washington, D.C.
June 29, 2010
On June 18, the Foundation sponsored a meeting to discuss the lessons learned from the landmark USAID-sponsored Call to Action Project, which provided nearly 4 million women with services to prevent the transmission of HIV to their babies.
When confronting challenges in preventing new HIV infections in children, sometimes the best methods are also the simplest. Low-tech, home grown solutions can often have the biggest impact.
Country Directors Peter Savosnick (Kenya) and Agnes Mahomva (Zimbabwe) sat down with us after the event to discuss two of these such solutions.
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Posted by
Robert Yule
Washington, D.C.
June 25, 2010
Dr. Agnes Moses is a leader – both in her native Malawi and internationally – in fighting pediatric HIV/AIDS.
This is why it’s particularly fitting that she was the recipient of our most recent International Leadership Award, generously funded by Jewelers for Children. The ILA supports researchers in the field doing innovative work to prevent mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of the virus, and to treat children living with HIV.
Today the ONE blog and Science Speaks blog both profiled Dr. Moses as she wrapped up a week of meetings with policymakers in Washington, D.C., talking about the measurable impact of U.S. funding in fighting HIV/AIDS in her own country.
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Posted by
Robert Yule
Washington, D.C.
June 18, 2010
Today the Obama administration announced the first round of countries slated for intensive focus as part of its response to various health challenges around the world – the Global Health Initiative (GHI).
Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Nepal, and Rwanda have been designated as “GHI Plus countries,” meaning that they will receive additional technical assistance and management support as the administration begins the roll-out of the GHI approach.
The GHI Plus countries will serve as “learning labs” for intensified study of U.S. efforts to reduce deaths and illnesses of mothers and children, and to treat preventable diseases. According to administration officials, these eight countries have all demonstrated the political willingness and enthusiasm for the initiative, and already have the necessary health infrastructure and international partners in place.
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Posted by
Robert Yule
Washington, D.C.
June 17, 2010
A landmark study published in today’s New England Journal of Medicine provides important evidence on how mothers living with HIV in resource-poor countries can more safely breastfeed their infants.
Conducted in Malawi, the Breastfeeding, Antiretrovirals, and Nutrition study (BAN) addressed one of the most difficult dilemmas of mother-to-child transmission of HIV: the issue of infant feeding.
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