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Chewe Luo of UNICEF speaking the Wednesday
plenary session.
© IAS/Ryan Rayburn - Commercialimage.net
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UNICEF is emphasising the benefits of an emerging model for prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV. The World Health
Organization’s ‘Option B+’ approach removes the use of a CD4 count threshold
for eligibility for lifelong treatment, rather than just treatment during
pregnancy and immediately after the birth.UNICEF's Executive Director Anthony
Lake has endorsed this approach: “Of course every woman wants her baby to live,
but every woman wants to live, and who should deny that right?”
In keeping with the conference theme of
affordability and financing of initiatives, it was pointed out that – although
Option B+ is more expensive than WHO’s other models – savings will be made with
reduced transmission to male partners, and to babies in current and any future
pregnancies.
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