Introduction

In 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 its impact on children continue to remain at the core of UNICEF’s work. For too long, children have been the missing face in the HIV and AIDS response and their needs are often being overlooked. Yet, they are the ones who offer the greatest hope for defeating the epidemic.

HIV and AIDS key data:

The global picture • In 2005, an estimated 38.6 million people worldwide were living with HIV. Of the estimated 2.3 million of children under 15 living with HIV, two million live in sub-Saharan Africa.

• An estimated 4.1 million people were newly infected with HIV in 2005. Of these, 540,000 were children under 15.

• In 2005, an estimated 2.8 million people died of AIDS-related causes. Approximately 380,000 of these were children under 15. Prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT)

• Less than 10 per cent of HIV-positive pregnant women receive drug therapies to prevent the transmission of HIV to their infants.

• Evidence from North America and Europe shows that providing a mother with a full range of PMTCT services can reduce the risk of transmission to less than two per cent.

• Without PMTCT services, about 35 per cent of infants born to HIV-positive mothers will be infected. Pediatric care and treatment of HIV-positive children

• Currently, less than 10 per cent of HIV-positive children in need of treatment are being treated.

• In mid-2005, 660,000 HIV-positive children under 15 were in need of antiretroviral drugs.

• An estimated four million children were in need of cotrimoxazole, a readily-available antibiotic costing only $0.03 per day per child. Cotrimoxazole prevents life-threatening infections in HIV-positive children and infants born to HIV-positive mothers. It can also delay the onset of AIDS and the need for ARV therapy.

• Evidence shows that in the absence of treatment, up to 50 per cent of HIV-positive children die by their second birthday.

Primary prevention

• Over 40 per cent of new infections occur among the group of young people aged 15-24. • 80 per cent of people above the age of 15, even in high-prevalence settings, are still not getting access to prevention services.

• In many highly-affected countries, prevalence among young women aged 15-24 is often two to three times higher than prevalence among young men.

• Fewer than 20 per cent of people who inject drugs received HIV prevention services, with coverage of less than 10 per cent reported in Eastern Europe and Central Asia.

• Use of HIV testing and counselling services quadrupled from roughly four million persons in 2001 to 16.5 million in 2005 (with more than 70 countries surveyed).

• Six of 11 heavily affected African countries reported a decline of 25 per cent or more in HIV prevalence among 15-24 year-olds in capital cities.

• 74 per cent of primary schools and 81 per cent of secondary schools (with 58 countries reporting) now provide HIV/AIDS and lifeskills education. Protection, care and support for children affected by AIDS

• 15.2 million children under the age of 18 have lost one or both parents to AIDS. 12 million of these are in sub-Saharan Africa.

• By 2010, the number of orphans due to AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa is expected to rise to over 16 million.

• Less than 10 per cent of children who have been orphaned or made vulnerable by AIDS receive support or services from outside their communities.