Every year, 800,000 babies are born with HIV; one in twenty women tested
Regional-Morocco, Health, 9/24/2003

Moroccan foreign affairs and cooperation minister, Mohamed Benaissa, called in New York Monday in the United Nations' head office for an immediate international mobilization to fight AIDS.

In a speech on behalf of the Group 77 and China, Benaissa said at a meeting of the UN Assembly General "we are long way from defeating this devastating epidemic and the situation may get worse without international mobilization."

One out of four countries does not have a national strategy to provide the necessary aid and assistance to HIV infected-people, deplored Benaissa, adding that one of 16 people in Sub-Saharan Africa, the most vulnerable region in the world, does not have access to Aids test.

Every year, some 800,000 babies are born with HIV and only one woman out of twenty undergoing prenatal treatment has access to preventive care, said the Moroccan official.

Benaissa warned that these figures are even more worrying because they concern women and children, that is the active population whose contribution to development is decisive.

However, he went on, national, regional and international efforts made so far have started to yield fruit and international solidarity is effected in initiatives and commitments that give hope in the future.

As far as Morocco is concerned, a strategy was drawn up to fight HIV/AIDS through a large awareness campaign where the government and the civil society work side by side, underscored the minister, saying nevertheless this breakthrough remains insufficient given the financial means that are necessary to take up the new challenges in terms of low-price drugs, preventive education and national strategies to fight the epidemics. (MAP)OB/

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