Population Control Better Than Meds vs. Pediatric AIDS?
Despite numerous studies that show that taking antiretrovirals during pregnancy can significantly reduce vertical transmission, only an estimated one in 10 African mothers-to-be has access to AIDS meds, reports the Washington Post (washingtonpost.com, 12/17). A proposed alternative? Birth control pills.
“It tends to be the best-kept secret in HIV prevention,” said Ward Cates, head of research for Family Health Organization, a nongovernmental organization based in North Carolina.
The article says that the team—which has done extensive research in Africa—found that administering AIDS meds to HIV-positive pregnant women prevented 101,000 babies from contracting the virus. Contraception, meanwhile, averted the births of 173,000 infected babies a year. They believe that providing and promoting positive women to take some form of birth control, which is less expensive than antiretrovirals, could prevent tens of thousands of more deaths.
Other countries including the United States have refused to fund birth control initiatives. PEPFAR's program officials cite that they do not object to family planning but would rather focus on initiatives that are more closely related to AIDS, such as providing meds and paying for condoms, which are proven to block the spread of AIDS.
The United Nations estimated last month that of the 2.5 million children living with HIV in the world, nearly 90 percent are in sub-Saharan Africa, and a large number acquired the infection from their mothers.
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