Eliminating paediatric HIV in the Caribbean
- By Richard Branson -
- Apr 05, 2012
I received an email from UNAIDS recently saying the Caribbean can wipe out paediatric HIV. Seems too good to be true given that the Caribbean has the world’s second highest rate of HIV/AIDS.
It turns out that mother to child transmission can be basically eliminated with simple measures. The main challenges are to make sure pregnant women are tested and treated and that treatment for Sexually Transmitted Infection (STIs) is integrated into healthcare for pregnant women.
Something called the Elimination Initiative aims to get this to zero by 2015. This initiative should be welcomed and it’s a great step forward. You can read more about it at UNAIDS Caribbean.
By Richard Branson. Founder of Virgin Group
