Less than 5% of HIV positive children ever get treatment

By Christian Nordqvist, Medical News Today, 26 Oct 2005

According to the United Nations, less than five per cent of HIV positive children ever get any treatment.

The UN, UNICEF and UNAIDS have launched a campaign, Unite for Children, Unite Against AIDS, to eradicate what they call ‘this disgrace'. A tiny fraction of children affected by HIV/AIDS are receiving any help at all, said Kofi Anan, UN Secretary-General.

He said that after 25 years of living with AIDS in our midst, we are leaving too many children to grow up alone, grow up too fast or not grow up at all. Every minute of every day four children become infected with HIV, said Kofi Anan.

In Sub-Saharan Africa the situation is awful - 15 million children have lost either one or both parents to AIDS.

The aim of the campaign is fourfold:
1. Prevent mothers infecting their children
2. Provide medical treatment for children
3. Help prevent people from becoming HIV positive in the first place
4. Assist children who are affected by AIDS.

Source: Medical News Today