In our Editorial this month the PLoS Medicine editors argue that the time has come to integrate prevention and treatment of HIV into maternal and child health care programs. A recent analysis of maternal deaths worldwide cited in the Editorial revealed that without the HIV epidemic there would have been an estimated 61,400 fewer maternal deaths in 2008. Although tackling HIV is a priority within the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), it is not specifically included in the MDGs for reducing child mortality and improving maternal health. A more integrated approach is needed, say the editors, recognizing maternal and child health and HIV as concurrent crises. The Editorial concludes that "the time has come to stop tackling infectious diseases, specifically HIV, in isolation from other health goals, and instead to examine the opportunities for integrating and scaling up delivery of HIV prevention and treatment services within the context of maternal and child health care."
Image Credit: Narith5 at flickr.com
Editorial
HIV in Maternal and Child Heath: Concurrent Crises Demand Cooperation
PLOS Medicine: published July 27, 2010 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1000311
Related Articles
Essays
Improving Implementation: Building Research Capacity in Maternal, Neonatal, and Child Health in Africa
PLOS Medicine: published July 6, 2010 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1000299
Health in Action
Improving Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV Care and Related Services in Eastern Rwanda
PLOS Medicine: published July 20, 2010 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1000302
Related Articles
Policy Forums
HIV Testing for Children in Resource-Limited Settings: What Are We Waiting For?
PLOS Medicine: published July 20, 2010 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1000285
Related Articles
Financing Maternal and Child Health—What Are the Limitations in Estimating Donor Flows and Resource Needs?
PLOS Medicine: published July 6, 2010 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1000305
Left to Their Own Devices: Breakdowns in United States Medical Device Premarket Review
PLOS Medicine: published July 13, 2010 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1000280
Learning Forum
Three Adult Cases of Listeria monocytogenes Meningitis in Vietnam
PLOS Medicine: published July 27, 2010 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1000306
Research Articles
Social Relationships and Mortality Risk: A Meta-analytic Review
PLOS Medicine: published July 27, 2010 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1000316
Related Articles
Association of Early Repolarization Pattern on ECG with Risk of Cardiac and All-Cause Mortality: A Population-Based Prospective Cohort Study (MONICA/KORA)
PLOS Medicine: published July 27, 2010 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1000314
A Model for the Roll-Out of Comprehensive Adult Male Circumcision Services in African Low-Income Settings of High HIV Incidence: The ANRS 12126 Bophelo Pele Project
PLOS Medicine: published July 20, 2010 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1000309
Estimating the Number of Paediatric Fevers Associated with Malaria Infection Presenting to Africa's Public Health Sector in 2007
PLOS Medicine: published July 6, 2010 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1000301
Stable and Unstable Malaria Hotspots in Longitudinal Cohort Studies in Kenya
PLOS Medicine: published July 6, 2010 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1000304
Related Articles
A Six-Gene Signature Predicts Survival of Patients with Localized Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma
PLOS Medicine: published July 13, 2010 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1000307
Integrative Genomic Analyses Identify BRF2 as a Novel Lineage-Specific Oncogene in Lung Squamous Cell Carcinoma
PLOS Medicine: published July 27, 2010 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1000315