First ladies promise stronger AIDS effort

The Organisation of African First Ladies Against HIV/AIDS has promised a strengthened effort in tackling the pandemic and, in particular, to prevent mother-to-child infection. The first ladies met recently at a two-day conference in Rwanda to review and agree upon a five-year strategic plan to counter the disease. In a communiqué issued after the conference, they "emphasised the need for urgent action in scaling up both HIV prevention and care services". The first ladies and officials from pharmaceutical companies, Abbott Laboratories and Boehringer-Ingelheim, agreed to expand access to treatment to greater numbers of HIV-positive mothers and their children.