Thematic
files
Maternal and child health
At the Millennium Summit in September 2000 the largest gathering of world leaders in history adopted the UN Millennium Declaration, committing their nations to a new global partnership to reduce extreme poverty and setting out a series of time-bound targets, with a deadline of 2015 that have become known as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). MDGs 4, 5 and 6 specifically focus on health. MDG 4 aims at reducing Child mortality. MDG 5 aims at improving Maternal Health. MDG 6 does not focus on Mother and Child Health. It aims at combating HIV/Aids, malaria and other diseases. Consequently it includes specific Mother and Child Health program such as Prevention of Mother to Child HIV Transmission (PMTCT) and HIV Pediatric care.
The European ESTHER Alliance supports specific programs either dedicated to one of the Health MDG or matching with a MDG 4, 5 and 6 combined approach.
MOTHER AND CHILD HEALTH
Every year, it is estimated that 350,000 women die in childbirth and pregnancy in the developing world. 9 million children die before their fifth birthday. Many of these deaths could be prevented by ensuring access to public health care and services. To reverse the trends by 2015, global strategies were launched in 2010.
HIV PEDIATRIC
According to WHO, 2,5 million Children lived with HIV worldwide at the end of 2009. 90% of them were in sub-Saharan Africa. The global coverage of ART for HIV children in 2009 was only 28% (notably lower than 36% coverage in adults). It is considered that Children account for 14% of all HIV mortality (260,000 deaths in 2009).
Children and AIDS, fifth stocktaking report, Unicef, Unaids, WHO, UNFPA, UNESCO (2010)- Welcome to the Pediatric HIV Treatment Advocacy Toolkit! The toolkit was developed by members of the Interagency Task Team (IATT) pediatric working group to support efforts in advocating for increased commitment to, and resources for, pediatric HIV diagnosis, care and treatment in high HIV prevalence countries and regions.
E-MTCT
In 2009, 370 000 children became newly infected with HIV globally, mainly through MTCT. An estimated 42 000 – 60 000 pregnant women died because of HIV. It is possible to stop new HIV infections among children and keep their mothers alive if pregnant women living with HIV and their children have timely access to quality life-saving antiretroviral drugs – for their own health, as indicated, or as a prophylaxis to stop HIV transmission during pregnancy, delivery and breastfeeding. When antiretroviral drugs are available as prophylaxis, HIV transmission can be reduced to less than 5%. Preventing HIV infection among women at increased risk of HIV and meeting unmet family planning needs of women living with HIV can significantly contribute to reducing the need for antiretroviral prophylaxis and treatment.
- Global plan toward the elimination of new HIV infections among Children by 2015 and keeping the mothers alive (2011)
- Rapid Advice, version II: Use of antiretroviral drugs for treating pregnant women and preventing HIV infection in infants (WHO, 2010)
- Guidance on Global Scale-up of the PMTCT of HIV, towards universal access for women, infants and young children and eliminating HIV and AIDS among children (IATT, 2007)