Carla backs baby HIV campaign
Wednesday December 2nd, 2009
Euro-celebrity Carla Bruni-Sarkovsky has been backing calls to eliminate HIV transmission to new-born babies.
Ms Bruni-Sarkovsky,
wife of the French president, has been talking about her visits to projects
world-wide, especially in Burkina Faso.
She has been acting as ambassador for the Global Fund, a public-private partnership aimed at fighting infectious diseases around the world.
The fund says its activities have helped ensure that more than 45 per cent of HIV positive pregnant women now receive drug treatment. In 2004 it was just ten per cent.
This has helped cut infection rates of babies to 15 per cent.
Earlier this week the World Health Organisation issued new guidelines, saying that women should breast-feed while taking HIV treatment.
Ms Bruni-Sarkovsky said: "There is still a lot of work to do but the Global Fund has achieved a lot. I am trying to bring attention towards them and I am trying to make sure that this can go on and that people keep giving to the Global Fund. It really works."
Tags: Africa | Childbirth and Pregnancy | Europe | Flu & Viruses | Women’s Health & Gynaecology | World Health
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