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HIV and AIDS
IntroductionIn 2005, UNICEF and partners launched the Unite for Children, Unite against AIDS campaign to put children on the global AIDS agenda. HIV and AIDS and their impact on children continue to remain at the core of UNICEFs work. For too long, children have been the missing face in the HIV and AIDS response and their needs have often been overlooked. Yet, they are the ones who offer the greatest hope for defeating the epidemic.
HIV and AIDS key data:
1. Global and regional estimates
In 2007:
An estimated 33.2 million people worldwide were living with HIV
Approximately 2.1 million children under 15 were living with HIV
An estimated 2.5 million people were newly infected with HIV
An estimated 420,000 children under 15 were newly infected with HIV
An estimated 2.1 million people died of AIDS-related causes
An estimated 290,000 children under 15 died of AIDS-related causes
UNAIDS regional estimates for children under 14 living with HIV (2005):
Sub-Saharan Africa: 2 million
South and South-East Asia: 170,000
East Asia: 6,400
Oceania (Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea): 3,000
Latin America: 32,000
Caribbean: 22,000
Middle East and North Africa: 31,000
Eastern Europe and Central Asia: 6,900
Western and Central Europe: 4,000
North America: 11,000
2. The Four Ps
Prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT)
Every day, almost 1,150 children worldwide become infected with HIV the vast majority of them newborns infected through mother-to-child transmission
In low- and middle-income countries, the proportion of HIV-positive pregnant women receiving antiretroviral prophylaxis to reduce the risk of transmission increased from 10 per cent in 2004 to 23 per cent in 2006.
In Eastern and Southern Africa, the proportion of HIV-positive pregnant women receiving antiretroviral prophylaxis for PMTCT increased from 11 per cent in 2004 to 31 per cent in 2006.
Paediatric care and treatment:
Sub-Saharan Africa is home to nearly 90 per cent of all children living with HIV.
Most children are infected with the virus while still in the womb, during birth or while breastfeeding.
In low- and middle-income countries, 127,300 HIV-positive children received antiretroviral treatment in 2006, compared with 75,000 in 2005 an increase of 70 per cent.
Preventing infection among young adolescents and young people
In 2007, young people aged 15-24 accounted for about 40 per cent of new HIV infections among adults aged 15 and over.
The total number of young men and women aged 15-24 living with HIV is estimated at 5.4 million. Of these, 3.28 million live in sub-Saharan Africa.
Recent evidence suggests that HIV prevalence among pregnant women aged 1524 attending antenatal clinics has declined since 20002001 in 11 of 15 countries with sufficient data. These include 8 countries in Eastern and Southern Africa.
Protection, care and support for children affected by AIDS
The estimated number of children under 18 orphaned by AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa doubled between 2000 and 2007, reaching 12.1 million.
Recent research in Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan shows how HIV-related stigma and discrimination prevent children from receiving basic social services and sometimes lead to long-term institutionalization and denial of parental care.
It is estimated that between 10 per cent and 20 per cent of children born to HIV-infected mothers in the Russian Federation are abandoned at birth to state institutions, including hospitals.
In most countries, children who have lost both parents are less likely to be in school than children whose parents are both still alive, but the disparity appears to be shrinking in many countries.
Last updated: May 2008
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