It would cost just $2.5 million to drastically reduce HIV infection of unborn babies by their mothers across the world, an AIDS conference in Kampala heard Thursday.
The third International Conference on Global Strategies for Prevention of Mother-to-Infant HIV Transmission, attended by 700 experts from 52 countries, ended by issuing a "Call to Action" to governments of the developed world.
"Because the cost of protecting the unborn babies of HIV infected women worldwide is just $2.5 million , the Call to Action urges governments and organisations to recognise that cost should not be an obstacle.
"The Call to Action appeals to multinational corporations, religious groups and NGOs, educational institutions, granting agencies, governments and organisations to all respond to the plea to help prevent the needless infection of women and children with HIV," the statement said.
It noted that there are 1.2 million HIV infected children alive and about 1,800 babies infected with HIV every day, with the majority found in sub-Saharan Africa.
Around 30 percent of babies born to HIV positive mothers contract the virus, which can be transmitted in breast milk and in the uterus, but by far the highest number of infections come about during birth.
AZT and the easier-to-administer Nevaripine are known to reduce the rate of mother-to-child transmission by around 47 percent.
AZT is prohibitively expensive for many developing countries, but Nevirapine, which is taken as a single dose both by the mother and child, costs between $0.8 and $4.
A German pharmaceutical company recently offered to provide Nevirapine free of charge to those countries requesting it.
"This Call to Action is directed at governments of developed countries. We call on them to negotiate donations and discounts from pharmaceutical companies who make anti-retroviral drugs and diagnostics," it said, adding that they should ensure that "funds designated for healthcare are utilised for their intended purpose” – KAMPALA (AFP)
