Efforts from the Zimbabwean front

Zimbabwe is one of the 22 high-priority African countries with children contracting most of the new HIV infections while the country’s AIDS levy has been commended as one of the innovative HIV and AIDS funding method, as the country continues its fight against these diseases.

The other 21 countries are Angola, Botswana, Burundi, Cameroon, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa, Swaziland, Uganda, United Republic of Tanzania and Zambia.These African health ministers shared  ideas and experiences on four focus areas related to the implementation of the Global Plan: Financing and political ownership; quality of care; community engagement; and human resources.

The future is in our hands

In 2010, an estimated 390 000 children were born with HIV but with access to complete HIV services, the risk of transmission can be reduced to below five percent.In response to this, UNAIDS and US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), convened partners to develop a global plan to stop new HIV infections among children by 2015 and keep their mothers alive.

The plan focuses on the 22 countries in which 90 percent of new HIV infections in children occur, 21 of which are in sub-Saharan Africa.By building bridges between the movements of AIDS, maternal and child health and women’s movements, it will quicken the pace of this race towards zero.

The Global Plan launched at the 2011 High Level Meeting on AIDS states great strides have been made in reducing HIV infections among women of reproductive age and expanding access to antiretroviral therapy for pregnant women living with HIV.

However, progress is not being scaled up as quickly on meeting the family planning needs of women living with HIV, preventing maternal mortality and making sure all children living with HIV have access to antiretroviral therapy. All of which are key elements in the global plan to achieve zero new HIV infections in children.Close to 15 percent of the funding for HIV prevention goes to the elimination of new HIV an infection among children.