Madagascar lanches national campaign towards AIDS-free generations

Henry Neondo in Antananarivo, Madagascar

Under the banner Towards AIDS-free generations, the Malagasy Government and partners have launched a five-year campaign focusing on reduction of HIV mother-to-child transmission and mobilisation of youth for effective HIV and AIDS prevention.

The Minister of Health and Family Planning, Dr. Jean-Louis Robinson, announced 200 health centres and 20 hospitals will be functional with HIV screening and treatment for HIV positive pregnant women nationwide before the end of the year.

This plan aims at reducing by 37 per cent the infection of infants born to HIV-positive mothers.

During this launch, the Ministry of Education revealed the mobilisation of all secondary schools throughout the country for ensuring young people have appropriate life-skills to be able to protect themselves against the disease and also become the spearhead of community awareness.

According to the Executive Secretary of the National Committee for Fighting HIV/AIDS, Mr. Fenosoa Ratsimanetrimanana, more than 13,000 children died of AIDS-related illness in the past five years in Madagascar. He adds that about 4,000 infants are born HIV-positive each year.

Stressing the course of the AIDS epidemic in the country is very alarming, he called for young persons to take up the challenge and fully engage in the fight against the disease.

This launch is part of a Global Campaign on Children and AIDS, lead by UNICEF and UNAIDS, that aims at drastically reducing primary infections, scaling up interventions to prevent mother-to-child-transmission (PMTCT), making paediatric AIDS drugs available to children, and providing care, support and protection for children affected by HIV/AIDS.
ENDS