Progress for kids

One.

Unbelievably, thankfully, that was the number of mother-to-child HIV transmissions at birth in Canada in all of last year.

The tiny statistic, revealed at the International AIDS Society conference in Vancouver this week, means that Canada has virtually eliminated the possibility of mothers passing the dreaded HIV virus — which can lead to AIDS — to their infants.

It’s a medical triumph that reflects the great strides made in fighting HIV and AIDS.

This remarkable achievement is a result of high rates of prenatal testing for the virus, as well as ready access to drug treatments which subdue infection. That reduces the likelihood of a mother passing the virus on to her unborn child.

As a result, women with HIV can now be confident they can have children without fear they will pass the virus on to their babies, Dr. Jason Brophy, chair of the Canadian Pediatric and Perinatal AIDS Research Group, told the conference.

His findings are among much good news to come out of the conference, in marked contrast to the dark mood at the last meeting in Vancouver almost 20 years ago. New research now indicates it’s possible to decrease HIV transmission rates by 95 per cent overall. “We now have the opportunity of ending the pandemic,” said conference co-chair and researcher Julio Montaner.

Still, there’s a lot to do elsewhere in the world to prevent transmission of the deadly virus, including mother-to-child infections.

For example, the most recent statistics indicate that 3.2 million children are living with HIV, and most were infected by their mothers during pregnancy, childbirth, or while they were breastfeeding.

Part of that is because three out of every five people with HIV don’t have access to antiretroviral therapy treatments, which both suppress the virus and the transmission of it. That means 22 million of the 35 million people currently infected with HIV are not receiving the therapy treatments.

Health officials in Canada should be congratulated for the improved screening that has saved so many babies from contracting HIV. Now we have to help find a way to stamp out transmission of the virus in the rest of the world by getting the drugs to everyone who needs them.

Three decades after the HIV virus was identified, there’s real hope it may finally be beaten.

Vancouver conference reminds us of the great strides made in fighting the dreaded disease