During the IV Conference of First Ladies of the Americas, Deborah Landey from the UN Joint Program on HIV/AIDS said only two out of five people with HIV/AIDS currently receive treatment. Dominican First Lady Margarita Cedeno Fernandez expressed concern about the fact that HIV/AIDS cases are increasing among women and children. The First Lady challenged her regional partners to take action to tackle the growing epidemic, adding that statistics indicate that poverty plays a major role in the spread of the disease. Representatives from 25 nations attended in the conference, which was held in Boca Chica.