[ad_1]
SEATTLE, Washington – In West and Central Africa, HIV infections in infants and adolescents are widespread and treatment requires greater effort. Due to lack of resources for the 540,000 children living with HIV, eight out of ten do not seek access to medical care because they do not know that they are infected. Because so many children are not protected from HIV, 51,000 children die of AIDS each year in West and Central Africa, while more than twice are infected with HIV each year.
In 2017, less than half of people living with HIV were aware of the infection. Of the 62% who were aware of HIV, 83% had access to antiretroviral therapy and 73% had been virally removed. The number of people who had access to antiretroviral treatment increased from 860,000 to 2.4 million between 2010 and 2017. More people were able to receive treatment because they were aware of their status.
Thirty percent of all AIDS-related deaths occur in West and Central Africa with 280,000 deaths in 2017 alone. In this region, four out of ten children die of AIDS, and only 10 per cent of children born to HIV-positive mothers are screened within a crucial two-month period.
Cape Verde takes action to reduce HIV infections in infants
While most countries in West and Central Africa are struggling to solve their HIV epidemic among children, Cabo Verde is aggressively reducing its action by taking steps to prevent the spread of the disease from mother to child. By providing important support to infected pregnant mothers, offered by UNAIDS and its partners, Cabo Verde is working to reduce HIV infection in infants by stopping the spread before birth, so that every child has a better chance to live fully without HIV.
Cabo Verde has decentralized its HIV services to improve accessibility. It offers pregnant women an HIV test. If the test is positive, antiretroviral drugs are immediately given to them and a set of services is provided during labor, delivery, and badfeeding. This combination reduces the risk of transmission to less than 5%. This treatment is free of charge as part of the country's universal coverage policy.
Cabo Verde's desire to reduce HIV infections in infants led to zero infected babies in 2014, 2015 or 2016. There was only one infection in 2017 because the mother had not received medical treatment appropriate during pregnancy.
Community response from Cabo Verde
Communities formed the coordination hub to fight AIDS in order to work and visit individuals. This organization tries to prevent infection and helps people living with HIV / AIDS. He wants to educate families and inform people in need. These communities aim to reduce the stigma of HIV and AIDS so that more people are tested and learn to stop the spread. They strive to empower people to make informed decisions and protect women and children from abuse.
Thanks to the work of government and community programs, Cabo Verde has led the way in reducing HIV infections in infants, but much remains to be done. He hopes to join the 2015 Dakar agreement and cooperate so that children are no longer born with HIV or dying from AIDS-related causes by 2020.
– Michela Rahaim
Photo: Flickr
Source link
