Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2000. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

Reuters NewMedia - Thursday December 14, 2000
Karin Popescu

"If we remember the documentaries of the early 1990s where we saw kids lying in their urine without any attendance...the conditions in which these children are living are absolutely not comparable any more," said Karin Hulshof, UNICEF regional representative.

Romania, which has the highest rate of AIDS among children in Europe, launched programmes in the 1990s to take children out of creaking institutions and place them with families. It also launched schemes to stop the spread of HIV.

But, launching a UNICEF report on the state of Romania's children over the past decade, Hulshof sounded a warning about a high rate of anaemia among pregnant women giving birth to more and more small babies weighing less than 2.5 kg (5.5 pounds).

"Studies in Romania are proving that anaemia and malnutrition in children, pregnant women and the general population is a growing problem," she said.

Hulshof said 40% of Romania's pregnant women and half of its children were suffering from anaemia, in a country where one third of the 22.5 million population live under the poverty line of $35 per month.

A solution to anaemia, she said, would be to add iron to fortify all bread flour, a measure due to be discussed by parliament.

Weeks after the execution of communist dictator Nicolae Ceuasescu in December 1989, the world was stunned by television images of many disabled children lying on the floor or in rusty beds in so-called orphanages across the country.

Romanian orphanages were crammed, even by the standards of communist states, because Ceausescu banned contraception and decreed that women should have at least four children.

Many poor women simply abandoned babies in hospital after giving birth.

Latest statistics show that from a total of 100,000 children now in state care, some 60,000 are still in institutions, while the rest had been adopted or were living in foster families. A dedcade ago, up to 170,000 were in state care.

Hulshof also said Romania had succeeded in stopping the infection of children by improving sanitation, including blood transfusions and injections.

"However, the mother-to-child transmission is a growing issue, and a growing problem is the heterosexual transmission in youth and adults," she added.

More than 2,000 children and 200 adults have died of AIDS since Romania reported its first case in 1985. Hulshof said 5,305 children and 1,306 adults were living with AIDS and another 4,000 children were HIV infected.

001214
RE001227

Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeared in 2000. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.

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 often presented in summary or aggregate form. It is not meant to be a substitute for the advice provided by your own physician or other medical professionals. Always discuss treatment options with a doctor who specializes in treating HIV.

Copyright ©1980, 2000. 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. .