When mothers who have tested HIV positive remain untreated, one child out of three is at risk of infection either in utero, during childbirth or through breastfeeding.
It's now 30 years since the HIV/AIDS virus came to prominence. There's still no outright cure for the 33 million people living with the illness, but advances in treatment are giving cause for hope. Those who envisage an end to the pandemic emphasize the importance of education in combating social stigmas and making testing for the virus more commonplace. World AIDS Day brings people together across the globe to raise awareness of the pandemic.
The World Health Organisation issued a report Wednesday warning that a funding crisis would impede the significant progress the international community made in the past decade in the fight against AIDS.
French politicians on both the left and right are worried voters will revolt over handing more budgetary power to Brussels, while the right-wing UMP party announces tougher penalties for young offenders, and Oscar Wilde's grave gets some protection from overenthusiastic tourists.
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, elections are just around the corner, and candidates are desperately trying to make themselves stand out from the crowd. Meanwhile, the Pope was in Benin last week but when it comes to fighting AIDS, he is still preaching abstinence instead of protection. Finally, over 115 years after it was first built, one of the most amazing bridges in Africa gets a facelift.
Better access to treatment helped lower the number of AIDS-related deaths in 2010, with a record number of people surviving despite being infected with HIV, the UN said Monday. About half of those eligible are now receiving medical treatment.
