ViiV Healthcare announces new grants in support of ending mother to child transmission of HIV
Landmark number of grants awarded for 2015 as the Positive Action for Children Fund hits 5 year milestone
London, United Kingdom, November 27, 2014/ -- The
Positive Action for Children Fund (PACF) is proud to announce 103
grants for 2015 totalling £5 million. 54 new grants and 49 extensions
will be funded to support community responses to help end mother to
child transmission of HIV thereby delivering crucial services to
mothers, children and HIV affected families.
PACF
partners with local organisations working to improve the health and
wellbeing of women and children affected by HIV, and the communities
they live in. All PACF projects work to strengthen ties between these
communities, local health systems and governments, so that more families
have access to information, prevention measures, testing and care for
HIV. Together these interventions safeguard women’s and their families’
health in an effort to meet the targets set out in the Global Plan (http://goo.gl/jDZfVi) towards the elimination of new infections among children by 2015 and keeping their mothers alive.
PACF
partners address a range of factors related to mother to child
transmission of HIV in their community, ranging from promoting women’s
and girls’ access to education and health services, to testing infants
early for HIV, to improving retention of mothers in local HIV services.
According to the Global Plan statistics, the total number of new HIV
infections in children was halved between 2009 and 2011 in low- and
middle-income countries. The Global Plan predicts that by 2015, the
number of children acquiring HIV infection can be reduced by 90% from
the baseline year of 2009.
In
2015, more than 50 organisations will be partnering with PACF for the
first time. Thanks to these new partnerships, PACF will be reaching into
previously unsupported countries, including Togo, Angola and Colombia.
Their work will extend into 25 countries.
“It
has been a rewarding year for PACF in terms of the quality, number and
geographical coverage of grants awarded with increased focus on the
support of small scale projects,” said PACF Board Chair Catherine
Peckham.
Of
the 103 new and extended partnerships announced for 2015, almost 90
partners are community based organisations focused on smaller
initiatives, showing an ever stronger trend towards supporting localized
projects. PACF aims to reach key populations that are often in rural
areas and are underserved by health facilities.
For
those community based organisations in need of support to sustain their
work, PACF provides unique capacity-building assistance through
one-on-one mentorship with experts in the HIV sector. This special
attention enables community based organisations to strengthen and
sustain their programming, as well as extend HIV prevention and
treatment services, and antenatal care to more people who need it.
“Supporting
projects that bring real change for HIV-affected communities is the
reason ViiV founded PACF in the first place,” said ViiV CEO Dominique
Limet, “We are proud to be partnering with such groups across the world
that are bringing this to fruition. They can really play an essential
role into the mission we share. ViiV Healthcare is absolutely committed
to communities affected by HIV and AIDS.”
Distributed by APO (African Press Organization) on behalf of ViiV Healthcare.
About the Global Plan and women and children living with HIV.
The
Global Plan, launched by UNAIDS and the United States Office of the
Global AIDS Coordinator, includes two ambitious targets for 2015: reduce
the number of children newly infected with HIV by 90%; and reduce the
number of pregnancy-related deaths among women living with HIV by 50%.
According
to the Global Plan, about 199,000 children were newly infected with HIV
in 2013, less than half the number in 2003, when the number of children
acquiring HIV infection peaked at 570,000. In addition, approximately
70% of pregnant women living with HIV received antiretroviral medicines
to prevent mother-to child transmission of HIV in 2013, compared to 33%
in 2009. With accelerated efforts, the Global Plan predicts the number
of children acquiring HIV infection can be reduced by 90% by 2015 from
the baseline year of 2009.
Without
treatment, up to 40% of babies born to HIV-positive mothers will start
life infected, and almost half of them will die before they are two
years old.
About the Positive Action for Children Fund
In
2009, ViiV Healthcare committed to invest £50 million in the PACF over
ten years. Now entering its fifth year, PACF has contributed more than
£24 million to support families in HIV-affected communities. Today PACF
funds over 200 projects on four continents.
PACF’s
efforts align to UNAIDS' Global Plan and the World Health
Organisation’s prevention of mother to child transmission (PMTCT)
Strategy, both of which aim to eliminate new HIV infections among
children and keep their mothers alive. PACF also aims to alleviate the
impact of HIV and AIDS on women and children’s health by supporting
interventions that engage affected communities, developing their
capacity to participate and lead.
About ViiV Healthcare
ViiV Healthcare (http://www.viivhealthcare.com)
is a global specialist HIV company established in November 2009 by
GlaxoSmithKline (LSE: GSK) and Pfizer (NYSE: PFE) dedicated to
delivering advances in treatment and care for people living with HIV.
Shionogi joined as a 10% shareholder in October 2012. The company’s aim
is to take a deeper and broader interest in HIV/AIDS than any company
has done before and take a new approach to deliver effective and new HIV
medicines, as well as support communities affected by HIV. For more
information on the company, its management, portfolio, pipeline, and
commitment, please visit www.viivhealthcare.com.
Contacts:
ViiV UK/US Media enquiries: Sebastien Desprez +44 7920 567 707
Marc Meachem +1 919 483 8756
GSK Global Media enquiries: David Daley +44 (0) 20 8047 5502
Melinda Stubbee +1 919 483 2510
GSK Analyst/Investor enquiries: Ziba Shamsi +44 (0) 20 8047 5543
Kirsty Collins (SRI & CG) +44 (0) 20 8047 5534
Tom Curry + 1 215 751 5419
Gary Davies +44 (0) 20 8047 5503
James Dodwell +44 (0) 20 8047 2406
Jeff McLaughlin +1 215 751 7002
Lucy Singah 44 (0) 20 8047 2248
GlaxoSmithKline cautionary statement regarding forward-looking statements:
GSK cautions investors that any forward-looking statements or
projections made by GSK, including those made in this announcement, are
subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to
differ materially from those projected. Factors that may affect GSK's
operations are described under Item 3.D “Risk factors” in the company's
Annual Report on Form 20-F for 2013.
References
1. Website link to Global Plan 2014 Progress Report: http://www.zero-hiv.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/UNAIDS-Global-Plan-Report-2014.pdf
SOURCE
ViiV Healthcare
Post a Comment
unashauriwa kutoa maoni muda na wakati wowote na kama unahabari yeyote unaruhusiwa kututumia