Global HIV/AIDS Leaders Endorse Plan to Eliminate Pediatric HIV Infections around the World by 2015
June 9, 2011
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Robert Yule, Senior Media Relations Manager, 202-448-8456
Statement from Charles Lyons, President and CEO, Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation
June 9, 2011, New York, NY – “Today’s release of a global plan to eliminate pediatric AIDS is a significant step toward an achievable goal: a generation born free of HIV.
We have long had the knowledge and capability to keep HIV-positive mothers healthy and their babies HIV-negative. In fact, preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT) is one of the best but least recognized success stories in this now three-decade fight against AIDS.
And yet, too many mothers still do not have access to the most effective treatment available to protect themselves and their children from HIV. As a result, more than 1,000 children are infected with HIV every day – and almost all of these infections are preventable.
“The Global Plan Towards the Elimination of New HIV Infections Among Children by 2015 and Keeping Their Mothers Alive” – released today at the United Nations High-Level Meeting on AIDS – gives us an opportunity to build upon our momentum and past successes, and recommit to finishing the job of ending pediatric AIDS. We welcome the leadership of UNAIDS and the U.S. Office of the Global AIDS Coordinator on moving this plan forward.
The plan provides not only a renewed commitment to this goal, but also a road map on how to get there. We welcome the announcement today of more financial contributions, but additional resources from governments and private sector donors will be needed to realize the elimination of pediatric AIDS.
The Foundation was honored to be a member of the Global Task Team, which brought together governments – including those in countries most affected by the pandemic – civil society, international organizations, the private sector, and people living with HIV. We all share the same goal: keeping mothers healthy and their children free of HIV.
The Foundation is committed to working with other members of the Global Task Team to ensure that this plan becomes a reality at the country level. We believe in the promise of a generation born free of HIV. And working together, with renewed political and financial commitments, we know we can achieve it.”
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About the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation:
The Foundation is a global leader in the fight against pediatric HIV and AIDS, and has reached more than 11.6 million women with services to prevent transmission of HIV to their babies. It works at more than 5,400 sites in 17 countries to implement prevention, care, and treatment services; to further advance innovative research; and to execute strategic and targeted global advocacy activities in order to bring dramatic change to the lives of millions of women, children, and families worldwide.
