HIV and AIDS
At the end of 2010 an estimated 34 million people were living with HIV globally including 3.4 million children.
Every day about 1,000 children are newly infected with HIV. Without help most will die by their second birthday.
But great progress is being made and an AIDS free generation is possible.
Increased access to HIV services has resulted in a 15% reduction of new infections over the past decade and the number of AIDS-related deaths worldwide is steadily decreasing from a peak of 2.2 million in 2005 to an estimated 1.8 million in 2010.
More men, women and children are being tested and more are receiving treatment. In many countries the drugs are now cheaper and easier to access.
In 2012 we will be calling on you to help us eliminate new infections in children by 2015 and reduce new infections among young people by 50%.
We call these focus areas the “four P’s”:
Read UNICEF's 2011 Progress Report on the global response to HIV and AIDs.
See how UNICEF NZ is responding to HIV and AIDS in Papua New Guinea.
Every day about 1,000 children are newly infected with HIV. Without help most will die by their second birthday.
But great progress is being made and an AIDS free generation is possible.
Increased access to HIV services has resulted in a 15% reduction of new infections over the past decade and the number of AIDS-related deaths worldwide is steadily decreasing from a peak of 2.2 million in 2005 to an estimated 1.8 million in 2010.
More men, women and children are being tested and more are receiving treatment. In many countries the drugs are now cheaper and easier to access.
In 2012 we will be calling on you to help us eliminate new infections in children by 2015 and reduce new infections among young people by 50%.
The Issue
Globally, AIDS-related illnesses remain one of the leading causes of death and are projected to continue as a significant global cause of premature mortality in the coming decades. Most children are infected with the virus during pregnancy or delivery and without adequate medical care 50% of these infants will die before their second birthday. A lack of awareness and education means that in many communities there is still negative stigma associated with HIV and AIDS. Young people with HIV and AIDS, and those children orphaned by the disease are often ostracised by their communities which increases their vulnerability even more.
UNICEF's impact
UNICEF focuses on four aspects of HIV/AIDS: prevention, care, treatment and protection. These extend from pregnancy through to infancy, adolescence and youth, and include mothers as well as children.We call these focus areas the “four P’s”:
- Preventing Mother to Child Transmission of HIV: UNICEF helps to test and treat HIV-positive mothers to help ensure they do not pass the virus onto their babies.
- Providing paediatric HIV and AIDS treatment: UNICEF helps to ensure that newborns are tested for HIV as early as possible which dramatically increases their chances of survival.
- Preventing infection among adolescents and young people: UNICEF works to provide services and education for those young people most at risk from contracting HIV to ensure they know how to protect themselves.
- Protecting and supporting children affected by HIV and AIDS: UNICEF works to ensure that children orphaned or made vulnerable by HIV and AIDS receive quality family, community and government support.
Read UNICEF's 2011 Progress Report on the global response to HIV and AIDs.
See how UNICEF NZ is responding to HIV and AIDS in Papua New Guinea.
Help our response to HIV and AIDS.
