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"This content is provided in partnership with GUCCI Beauty for CHIME FOR CHANGE. The Situation It&amp;#039;s heartbreaking: a child is born with HIV almost every 90 seconds. Without treatment, one third of these infants will die before their first birthday; half will die before their second birthday, reports UNICEF. According to March of Dimes, 90% of infected newborns acquired HIV from their mothers via mother-to-child transmission (MTCT), which happens when an HIV-positive mother passes the virus to her child during pregnancy, labor and delivery, or breastfeeding. In developed countries, MTCT has been largely eradicated due to effective voluntary testing and counseling services, easy access to antiretroviral therapy, safe delivery practices, and the widespread availability and continued use of breast-milk substitutes for HIV positive mothers. In fact, since 1995, more than 350,000 children have avoided HIV infection due to these interventions worldwide. In many developing countries, however, MTCT remains a reality because women do not have access to the education, medication and other tools they need to prevent transmission. But there is hope: recent efforts are helping to reduce the incidence of MTCT in the developing world. UNAIDS, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, set a Global Plan to end new HIV infections in children by 2015, and the organization is making headway. UNAIDS reports that more than 900,000 women received antiretroviral drugs to prevent MTCT in 2012, a third higher than in 2009. UNAIDS believes that intervention strategies in low- and middle-income countries will continue to reduce the incidence of MTCT. When medicines and education are offered to HIV-infected pregnant women, infant infections are prevented.  Making a Difference The MEERA Foundation offers critical support to pregnant women who are infected with HIV in India&amp;#039;s Dindigul district, where nearly 120 new mothers are identified as HIV-positive every year. The organization offers transport services for expectant mothers; covers medical expenses; provides food and critical medications to mothers and their family members; and offers nutrition and breastfeeding counseling for up to 18 months after delivery\u2014all to achieve the goal of preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV. Click here to support MEERA Foundation&amp;#039;s effort to prevent mother-to-child HIV transmission. To learn more about the Chime for Change campaign to convene, unite and strengthen the voices speaking out for girls and women around the world, visit chimeforchange.org. You can donate $5 to Chime for Change with the purchase of select Gucci fragrances. Just visit www.gucci.com. Photo Credit: MEERA Foundation "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.cosmopolitan.com/politics/advertorial/a6758/plan-to-end-mother-child-hiv/>