Today, on World AIDS Day, the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) announced it will partner with Johnson & Johnson, Gilead Sciences and ViiV Healthcare to reduce AIDS infection of young women and girls globally.
According to PEPFAR, nearly 400,000 adolescent girls and young women between the ages of 15 and 24 are infected with HIV every year. With the help of their private sector partners, PEPFAR hopes to achieve a 40 percent reduction in HIV infections women and girls in the 10 most vulnerable countries in sub-Saharan Africa by the close of 2017.
Launched in 2003, PEPFAR has trained 190,000 new health care workers, provided life-saving antiretroviral treatment for more than 9 million men, women and children and HIV testing and counseling for over 68 million people around the world. Over 13 years of service, more than 1 million babies have been born HIV-free.
“No greater action is needed right now to end AIDS than empowering adolescent girls and young women,” said U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator and Ambassador Deborah L. Birx in a statement Tuesday. “These new partners will bring innovative thinking and critical resources, which will prevent new infections and save lives.”
Media Resources: U.S. Department of State Press Release 12/1/2015
