The current situation
	Why focus on prevention?
	Strategy for prevention
	Core areas of support Young people, Condom programming, Pregnant women
	Enabling environment Mainstreaming gender concerns, Population and development concerns, Advocacy and partnerships, Capacity building

Core areas of support (continued)

3. Pregnant women

Preventing HIV infection in pregnant women and all women of childbearing age not only protects the women themselves—it also avoids the risk of transmission to their infants and partners.

Most pregnant women are HIV-negative, in need of information and services to remain free from infection.

Women who are pregnant and HIV-positive also have a right to reproductive health care to ensure the best possible outcome for both mother and child.

Interventions for prevention among pregnant women include voluntary testing, counselling, prenatal and post-delivery care, and skilled assistance for safe childbirth.

• Worldwide, 99 per cent of pregnant women are free of the AIDS virus. Of the 200 million women who become pregnant each year, an estimated 1.8 million women are HIV-positive.



• Pregnancy is often one of the few times when women access health services, providing an excellent opportunity for HIV prevention, especially through voluntary and confidential counselling and testing. UNFPA’s long experience in maternal health is contributing to a growing number of projects in this area.



• Pregnant women in three provinces of the Dominican Republic are the focus of prevention efforts including information, counselling, screening tests and access to condoms through expanded and improved reproductive health services. Training in prevention has been provided for doctors and other health personnel and aims to reach 60 per cent of women, men and adolescents living in the project area.

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