GENEVA, April 3, 2008 (AFP) - More than two million children worldwide were living with the HIV virus in 2007, most of whom were infected before they were born, a joint study by United Nations humanitarian organisations said Thursday.
Some 290,000 children under the age of 15 died of AIDS last year and 12.1 million children in sub-Saharan Africa lost one or both parents to the disease, according to the "Children and AIDS" report by the World Health Organisation, UNICEF and UNAIDS.
"Today's children and young people have never known a world free of AIDS," said UNICEF executive director Ann Veneman.
"Children must be at the heart of the global AIDS agenda," she urged.
The report highlighted four areas crucial to tackling the epidemic: preventing HIV transmission from mothers to children; providing paediatric treatment; preventing infection among adolescents and young people; and protecting and supporting children affected by AIDS.
While some progress has been made in all these areas, the report found that significant challenges remain.
For example, 21 countries including Botswana, Brazil, Rwanda, South Africa and Thailand are now on track to reach 80 percent coverage to prevent mother-to-child HIV transmission by 2010, up from only 11 countries in 2005.
The proportion of HIV-positive pregnant women receiving retroviral drugs to reduce the risk of transmitting the virus to their children rose by 60 percent from 2005 to 2006 -- although this still means that less than a quarter (23 percent) of all such women get retrovirals.
The report also said that the number of HIV-positive children in low- and middle-income countries getting retrovirals rose 70 percent over the same period to 127,000 from 75,000.
"We must provide antiretroviral treatment for women who require it... to achieve this, health systems and their most precious component, the health care workforce, must be strengthened," said Kevin DeCock, director of the WHO's HIV division.
The report also welcomed an increase in funds to tackle the disease, even if funding gaps persist.
"Governments and donors alike are allocating more resources to prevention, treatment and protection efforts," it said.
In 2007, some 10 billion dollars (6.4 billion euros) were available to combat AIDS, up from 6.1 billion dollars the previous year.
080403
AF080401
Copyright ©AFP 2008. All Rights Reserved. AFP articles contained on the AEGiS web site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without AFP's prior written permission. You may make one copy of each article for your personal, non-commercial use only; more copies would require AFP's prior written permission obtained from the owners of any trademarks or copyrighted materials whose marks and materials are included in AFP photos or materials. Therefore you will be solely responsible for obtaining any and all necessary releases from whatever individuals and/or entities necessary for any uses of AFP stories, photos or graphics. http://www.afp.com/
AEGiS is a 501(c)3, not-for-profit, tax-exempt, educational corporation. AEGiS is made possible through unrestricted funding from Boehringer Ingelheim, Bridgestone/Firestone Charitable Trust, Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, Elton John AIDS Foundation, Gill Foundation, the National Library of Medicine, Quest Diagnostics, Roche and Trimeris, and donations from users like you.
AEGiS presents published material, reprinted with permission and neither endorses nor opposes any material. All information contained on this website, including information relating to health conditions, products, and treatments, is for informational purposes only. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. This article first appeared in 2008. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.
Copyright ©1980, 2008. AEGiS. All materials appearing on AEGiS are protected by copyright as a collective work or compilation under U.S. copyright and other laws and are the property of AEGiS, or the party credited as the provider of the content.