Can you believe that statistic? Here's another troubling one:

 

 

 When I was pregnant with my daughters, I worried about all kinds of things — would childbirth go smoothly? Would my children be healthy? Would I be able to keep them safe? But one thing I did not have to worry about was whether or not my children would be doomed to a life sentence of HIV infection simply by being born.

 

I don't have HIV. But even if I did, I live in a country in which preventative prenatal care means that the chances of an HIV-infected pregnant mom transmitting the disease to her baby are slim. An HIV-positive woman can transmit the virus to her baby during pregnancy, labor and delivery, and through breastfeeding. If she takes no preventive drugs and breastfeeds, then the chance of her baby becoming infected is around 20-45 percent. With preventative care, that risk drops to less than 2 percent.

 

 

So check out their site. Sign their petition. And then, if you can, spread the word on Twitter, Facebook, your blog, your e-mail list, your vlog, or at your next play date.  

 

Let's help save lives.  

 

See also:

• What are HIV symptoms?