Luanda – Mother-to-Child HIV Transmission rate reduced from 26 percent to 15 percent in the period between 2018 and 2021, as result of Born Free to Shine "Nascer Livre para Brilhar" project led by the First Lady of the Republic of Angola, Ana Dias Lourenço.
The statistics were released on Wednesday (8) in Luanda, during the visit of the Queen of Spain Letizia Ortiz to the Luanda’s Lucrécia Paim Maternity, accompanied by the First Lady Ana Dias Lourenço.
The Queen toured the neonatology unit, testing and triage rooms and physician’s office.
“The success of the programme is due to the increase in the number of pregnant women living with HIV who join the antiretroviral treatment programme, the reduction of stigma, and the increase in knowledge about HIV and the benefits of treatment”, explained Antonia Hembe, adviser to the First Lady.
The consultant clarified that the advocacy of Ana Dias Lourenço, from communication to resource mobilisation, was crucial to the success of the campaign, supported by the Global Alliance to end AIDS in children by 2030.
Queen Letizia Ortiz has been in Angola as part of the official visit the King of Spain, Felipe VI, to the country since Monday night.
Born Free to Shine Campaign
In 2018, African leaders made a political commitment to ending childhood AIDS by 2030, and urged First Ladies to lead initiatives in their countries.
In Angola, in 2018, the First Lady Ana Dias Lourenço launched in eastern Moxico province the Nascer Livre para Brilhar campaign to accelerate the elimination of AIDS in Africa.
