John Sarbanes: “SARS is only the most recent of the many international health emergencies that WHO has faced. In the complex effort to…”

“SARS is only the most recent of the many international health emergencies that WHO has faced. In the complex effort to reduce the spread of HIV/AIDS, WHO also plays an important part. It is estimated that of the roughly 750,000 new HIV cases in children each year, more than 400,000 could be prevented by treating the most common route of infection, mother-to-child transmission, (MTCT). As in the case of infant diarrhea, we know that simple, cheap and effective interventions are available. The drug nevirapine, for example, reduces the likelihood of transmission of HIV from a mother to her newborn by up to 47 percent. It is administered in a single dose to the mother at the onset of labor and in a single dose to the baby in its first 3 days after delivery. The intervention costs less than $4, and the drug is now available at minimal or no cost in most countries where poverty levels are high and resources scarce. The use of nevirapine to address MTCT is based on the work and recommendations from WHO.”