HIV/AIDS and Children
More than 15 million children have lost one or both parents to AIDS.
HIV/AIDS is causing untold human suffering and in some countries is reversing decades of development progress. It is a disease that increasingly affects young people, and must be stopped in order for the world to make sustainable progress in child survival.
The impact of HIV/AIDS on children continues to remain at the core of UNICEF’s work. In October 2005 UNICEF launched its global Unite for Children, Unite against AIDS campaign. This five-year campaign is being carried out with many partners and works in line with goals set out in the Millennium Development Goals.
Fighting the effects of AIDS on children – The Four Ps
UNICEF’s work in HIV/AIDS is based around four key areas with specific targets to be reached by 2010 as a part of the global Unite for Children, Unite against AIDS campaign.
- Prevent mother-to-child transmission
The vast majority of the half a million children under the age of 15 who die from AIDS-related illnesses every year become infected through mother to child transmission. Yet less than 10 percent of pregnant women have access to treatment to prevent transmission. By 2010, UNICEF aims to offer services to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV to 80 percent of women in need.
- Provide paediatric treatment
Less than 5 percent of HIV positive children in need of paediatric AIDS treatment are receiving it. Cotrimoxazole is a low-cost treatment that can make a real difference to children exposed to HIV, yet only 1 percent of children who could benefit from it have access to it. By 2010, UNICEF aims to reach out to 80 percent of children who need treatment.
- Prevent infection among adolescents and young people
More than two decades into the epidemic, studies across the globe have established that the vast majority of young people still have no idea how HIV is transmitted or how to protect themselves from the virus. By 2010, UNICEF aims to reduce the percentage of young people living with HIV by 25 percent globally.
- Protect and support children affected by HIV/AIDS
Well before parents die from AIDS, children often have to take on adult tasks such as caring for the sick, looking after younger siblings and generating income. UNICEF works to ensure access for orphans and vulnerable children to essential services, including education and healthcare. By 2010, UNICEF aims reach 80 percent of children most in need.
Click here to donate to UNICEF Australia's HIV/AIDS appeal.
FAST FACTS
- 39.5 million people worldwide live with HIV. 2.3 million of these are children under the age of 15.
- Of the 2.1 million children living with HIV in 2007, 420,000 were children, infected mainly through mother-to-child transmission.
- An estimated 290,000 children died of AIDS in 2007.
- 15.2 million children under the age of 18 have lost one or both parents to AIDS. About 12 million of these are in sub-Saharan Africa.