Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2005. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
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New Vision (Kampala) - December 3, 2005
In a distressing indictment, children cited care and treatment as key factors in the management of HIV/AIDS and appealed to developed countries, particularly the US, to take up the challenge of providing free treatment to children in developed countries like Uganda.
Led by a 12-year-old Ugandan AIDS activist, Josephine Nabukenya, they shared testimonies, poems and performances about their battle against AIDS with their counterparts in New Jersey, USA.
The "Caring Across Continent" event, was organised by Elizabeth Glaser Paediatric AIDS Foundation in collaboration with Johnson and Johnson to bridge the gap between children living with HIV/AIDS in the US and those in the developing world.
From the US, Jake Glaser, Elizabeth Glaser's son said the fight against HIV/AIDS was possible that needed everybody's willingness and effort.
He called on political leaders, individuals and the entire HIV/AIDS community emulates his mother who tirelessly fought for HIV-positive children around the world.
Dr. Philippa Musoke of Makerere University department of paediatrician highlighted the fact that over 75% children infected at birth in Sub-Saharan Africa died by five years due to limited care and treatment.
"We have watched children die over the years and our hands tied to offer care and treatment. In a Ugandan population of 26million, 1.2 million are HIV infected and 150,000 are children," she said.
Adding, "While funding for care has increased significantly over the years, access for children is still limited.
Currently, 67,000 individuals are receiving highly active antiretroviral therapy but only 6000 are children. About 60,000 babies are exposed to HIV each year and 20,000 become infected through mother-to-child transmission.
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