European Commission promises AIDS action

A vow of action has been taken by the European Commission (EC), with the organisation pledging to help the AIDS epidemic in Southern Africa.

This is the area of the world most affected by AIDS, with the European Union (EU) suggesting that there were 1.5 million new infections in 2007 alone.

Alessandro Mariani, the EU's ambassador to Malawi, told AFP that "significant European resources" are to be utilised in the struggle against AIDS in Southern Africa.

"We have to do more on prevention, and we have to do it better and faster. HIV infections are unacceptably high," he stated.

"Prevention, prevention and prevention will be our main objective. We want a new generation which is HIV free."

This new investment will concentrate firstly on stopping mother-to-child transmissions, as well as to stop HIV in the wider public arena.

Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe are included in the EC action group against AIDS, which is chaired by Mr Mariani.

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