This Mother's Day Well Over 3,000 Women Will Become Infected with HIV: A Call to Renew Efforts to Give Women Power Over AIDS
Celebrating motherhood is a historical tradition dating back centuries. On Sunday, families around the world - from the US to Canada to South Africa to China - will stop to pay tribute to the central role mothers play in shaping individuals, communities, and nations
Nearly every nation embraces this tradition in some way, setting aside one special day of the year to honor mothers who work day in and day out, often quietly and unnoticed, to achieve a world where their children will be free from violence, poverty and discrimination, and where equality is no longer a dream but a reality for all.
Last month, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced a Joint Action Plan to improve reproductive, maternal and newborn health, and in June global leaders, advocates and others will gather at a global summit known as "Women Deliver 2010," to reinforce that maternal and reproductive health needs must be a global priority. An emphasis on maternal and child health will be continued at the upcoming 36th G8 Summit to be held in Ontario, Canada. While we are encouraged about the recent global focus on women's rights and health, we are reminded today that women's equality can mean the difference between life and death.
Far too many women are at high risk of HIV infection, especially in sub-Saharan Africa - where women and girls represent almost 60 percent of new infections. AIDS has evolved to become one of the greatest threats to women's health, and is now the number one cause of death among women of reproductive age in the world. A combination of biology and social reality renders women, and in particular adolescent girls, especially vulnerable to HIV.
The statistics are sobering and should serve as a call to action: On this Mother's Day alone, well over 3,000 women will become infected with HIV.
In fact, about 15.7 million women worldwide are living with HIV, and nearly one out of every five maternal deaths can be linked to HIV. Sadly, the spread of the epidemic continues to outpace the world's response to it, and current prevention options are not enough. Condoms, although effective when used, are not practical for women who cannot persuade their partners to use them, who want children or who are at risk for violence. Female-initiated HIV-prevention options would give women greater control over their own health as part of the broader toolkit of existing methods.
Microbicides - biomedical products currently being developed to reduce the risk of HIV infection during sex - are one of the most promising strategies. The International Partnership for Microbicides (IPM) and others have taken a hopeful new approach to microbicide development by focusing on products based on the same powerful antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) that are being used to treat HIV/AIDS and to prevent mother-to-child transmission. ARV-based microbicides could revolutionize women's ability to protect themselves from HIV infection through the use of a variety of long-lasting formulations, such as monthly vaginal rings, now in development.
With 3,000 women becoming infected today and every day, the need to reduce HIV transmission remains urgent. Microbicides could have a dramatic impact on the epidemic's future by filling one of the central gaps in the existing continuum of prevention options. Putting the power of protection into women's hands will give women a new way to protect themselves from HIV. This Mother's Day is an opportunity to renew our global commitment to invest in women and make real progress in giving women the right to safe and healthy lives.
About IPM: IPM is a nonprofit organization established in 2002 to prevent HIV transmission by accelerating the development and availability of safe and effective vaginal microbicides in developing countries. IPM has offices in the United States, Belgium and South Africa.
Contacts: Larry Miller, lmiller@ipmglobal.org, +1 301 608 4267
Holly Seltzer, hseltzer@ipmglobal.org, +1 301 608 4277