2005 Press Releases

Glaser Foundation to Support HIV/AIDS Projects in Zimbabwe

(4/4/2004)

The United States Government, through the U.S. Agency for International Development, is pleased to announce the launch of the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation’s (The Glaser Foundation) “Call to Action” project in Zimbabwe, which supports the Ministry of Health’s expansion of services for the prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV.  The Glaser Foundation’s PMTCT program is helping to build health care infrastructure by providing voluntary counseling and testing and short-course antiretroviral prophylaxis, delivering prevention messages to keep HIV-negative pregnant women from becoming infected, and counseling HIV-positive women on family planning to prevent unintended pregnancies.  Glaser’s program also provides a solid foundation for antiretroviral treatment programs for infected family members, including children.

 

Mother-to-child transmission of the HIV virus is responsible for almost 100% of HIV infections in children.  Transmission of the HIV virus between mothers and children can occur at three stages: during pregnancy, during labor and delivery, and through breastfeeding.  In the absence of any intervention, at least 20-25% of babies born in Zimbabwe are likely to be born with HIV.  

 

As Ambassador Joseph Sullivan noted in his remarks at the official launch, “With just one dose of nevirapine administered before delivery, we can prevent the transmission of this deadly disease to thousands of Zimbabwean children.  The key is to make information on the availability of prevention services known to women throughout the country.”

 

Elizabeth Glaser and her son both died from the AIDS virus, but she had already begun to work tirelessly to prevent further infections among children.  The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation is now an international organization focusing on pediatric care and research in the field of prevention of mother-to-child transmission of the HIV virus.  In Zimbabwe, The Glaser Foundation is working with three partners who have extensive expertise in the area: the J.F. Kapnek Charitable Trust; the Zimbabwe Aids Prevention Program; and ISPED of the University of Bordeaux, France.  Together, they are active at 60 sites in the country.

 

By working in partnership with the Ministry of Health and Child Welfare, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, local agencies and other USAID-funded projects, The Glaser Foundation is ensuring that family-centered HIV services are available to more people in more places around Zimbabwe.  Mothers and their children, and men and their families, are starting to realize that to fight HIV there needs to be a collaborative and concerted effort by all involved.