Unite for Children, Unite Against AIDS

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Unite for Children, Unite against AIDS is a global Campaign launched by UNICEF in 2005 to raise awareness of the plight of children globally in relation to HIV and AIDS, and to spur action.

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Almost every minute of every day, a child dies because of AIDS, and another two young people are infected with HIV. [1] In 2007, 270,000 children under the age of 15 died because of AIDS. Millions more have lost their parents to the disease. [2] HIV is increasingly a disease of the young, particularly girls. Despite the already catastrophic impacts of HIV and AIDS, worse may yet be to come.[ citation needed ]

Even so, HIV is both preventable and treatable. UNICEF’s Unite for Children, Unite against AIDS campaign has four key actions for children; Prevention of new infections, Prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT), Providing treatment for children, and Protection, care and support.

Prevention of new infections

As part of a comprehensive HIV prevention response, young people need accurate and relevant information about HIV transmission and a supportive environment where they can talk openly about risk behaviour. They also need to know their HIV status. UNICEF’s goal is to reduce by 25 per cent the number of young people with HIV globally. [3]

Prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT)

Without treatment, 15–30 per cent of babies born to mothers with HIV will themselves get the virus. Around one in two infants who get HIV from their mothers and do not receive treatment die before their second birthday. Many pregnant women are still missing out on treatment. UNICEF hopes to provide services for 80 per cent of all women in need. [3]

Providing treatment for children

Only a fraction of children living with HIV receive life-saving anti-retroviral therapy (ART). Without treatment, children face a bleak and short-lived future. Current paediatric ARVs are still expensive compared to adult formulas, which are not packaged in child-friendly doses. UNICEF’s goal is to provide treatment to 80 per cent of children in need. [3]

Protection, care and support

Children who have lost one or both parents to AIDS face discrimination and stigmatisation. Those living in households with ill or dying parents are often even more vulnerable. Parents with HIV need to be provided with treatment to prevent orphanhood. All children affected by HIV and AIDS need access to health care and education, as well as protection, care and support. UNICEF’s goal is to provide services that reach 80 per cent of children most in need. [3]


Much has been achieved in recent years. For instance:

Despite these achievements, much remains to be done. The protection, prevention, treatment and support for children affected by HIV and AIDS remains insufficient.

We want to live free from HIV

In May 2009, UNICEF UK launched a new phase of the 'Unite for Children, Unite against AIDS' campaign. Focused on preventing infection among adolescents and young people, this campaign is called ‘We want to live free from HIV’. It follows UNICEF UK’s ‘Born Free from HIV’ campaign, which concentrated on the issue of preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV. [5]

In 2008, it was estimated that young people aged 15 to 24 accounted for an estimated 45 per cent of new HIV infections worldwide and that almost two young people acquire HIV every minute. On average, only 30 per cent of young men and 19 per cent of young women in developing countries have comprehensive and correct knowledge about HIV and how to avoid transmission. Not enough attention is being given to preventing HIV spreading further among young people around the world. [5]

UNICEF UK’s ‘We want to live free from HIV’ campaign aims to raise over £2 million for HIV and AIDS and to remind governments of the importance of effective HIV prevention amongst young people. [5]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">HIV/AIDS in Africa</span> HIV/AIDS in Africa

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation</span>

The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation (EGPAF) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to preventing pediatric HIV infection and eliminating pediatric AIDS through research, advocacy, and prevention and treatment programs. Founded in 1988, the organization works in 12 countries around the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">HIV/AIDS in India</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">HIV/AIDS in South Africa</span> Health concern in South Africa

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Botswana is experiencing one of the most severe HIV/AIDS epidemics in the world. The national HIV prevalence rate among adults ages 15 to 49 is 24.8 percent, which is the third highest in the world, behind Lesotho and Eswatini. HIV/AIDS threatens the many developmental gains Botswana has achieved since its independence in 1966, including economic growth, political stability, a rise in life expectancy, and the establishment of functioning public educational and health care systems.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">HIV/AIDS in Mozambique</span>

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HIV/AIDS in Namibia is a critical public health issue. HIV has been the leading cause of death in Namibia since 1996, but its prevalence has dropped by over 70 percent in the years from 2006 to 2015. While the disease has declined in prevalence, Namibia still has some of the highest rates of HIV of any country in the world. In 2016, 13.8 percent of the adult population between the ages of 15 and 49 are infected with HIV. Namibia had been able to recover slightly from the peak of the AIDS epidemic in 2002. At the heart of the epidemic, AIDS caused the country's live expectancy to decline from 61 years in 1991 to 49 years in 2001. Since then, the life expectancy has rebounded with men living an average of 60 years and women living an average of 69 years

<span class="mw-page-title-main">HIV/AIDS in Rwanda</span>

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HIV/AIDS in Bolivia has a less than 1 percent prevalence of Bolivia's adult population estimated to be HIV-positive and therefore the country has one of the lowest HIV prevalence rates in the Latin America and Caribbean region.

Cases of HIV/AIDS in Peru are considered to have reached the level of a concentrated epidemic. According to a population-based survey conducted in Peru’s 24 largest cities in 2002, adult HIV prevalence was estimated to be less than 1 percent. The survey demonstrated that cases are unevenly distributed in the country, affecting mostly young people between the ages of 25 and 34. As of July 2010, the cumulative reported number of persons infected with HIV was 41,638, and there were 26,566 cases of AIDS, according to the Ministry of Health (MOH), and the male/female ratio for AIDS diagnoses in 2009 was 3.02 to 1. The Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) estimates 76,000 Peruvians are HIV-positive, meaning that many people at risk do not know their status. There were 3,300 deaths due to AIDS in Peru in 2007, down from 5,600 deaths in 2005.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">HIV/AIDS in Haiti</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">UNICEF UK</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">HIV-affected community</span> Medical condition

The affected community is composed of people who are living with HIV and AIDS, plus individuals whose lives are directly influenced by HIV infection. This originally was defined as young to middle aged adults who associate with being gay or bisexual men, and or injection drug users. HIV-affected community is a community that is affected directly or indirectly affected by HIV. These communities are usually influenced by HIV and undertake risky behaviours that lead to a higher chance of HIV infection. To date HIV infection is still one of the leading cause of deaths around the world with an estimate of 36.8 million people diagnosed with HIV by the end of 2017, but there can particular communities that are more vulnerable to HIV infection, these communities include certain races, gender, minorities, and disadvantaged communities. One of the most common communities at risk is the gay community as it is commonly transmitted through unsafe sex. The main factor that contributes to HIV infection within the gay/bisexual community is that gay men do not use protection when performing anal sex or other sexual activities which can lead to a higher risk of HIV infections. Another community will be people diagnosed with mental health issues, such as depression is one of the most common related mental illnesses associated with HIV infection. HIV testing is an essential role in reducing HIV infection within communities as it can lead to prevention and treatment of HIV infections but also helps with early diagnosis of HIV. Educating young people in a community with the knowledge of HIV prevention will be able to help decrease the prevalence within the community. As education is an important source for development in many areas. Research has shown that people more at risk for HIV are part of disenfranchised and inner city populations as drug use and sexually transmitted diseases(STDs) are more prevalent. People with mental illnesses that inhibit making decisions or overlook sexual tendencies are especially at risk for contracting HIV.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">HIV/AIDS in South African townships</span>

South Africa's HIV/AIDS epidemic, which is among the most severe in the world, is concentrated in its townships, where many black South Africans live due to the lingering effects of the Group Areas Act.

Children in Uganda are regularly exposed to many preventable health risks. According to the WHO, the country ranks 186th out of 191 eligible countries in life expectancy. The country also ranks 168 out of 188 in infant mortality rates, with a lower rank reflecting lower infant mortality. There are also about 97 infant mortalities out of 1,000. There are many cultural factors influencing the current health status of Uganda including the negative stigmas associated with sex, and the wood-burning stoves. The former of these has resulted in a severe lack in education and communication necessary to improve the health and well-being of children. There are multiple factors negatively impacting the health of children in Uganda. Those factors include HIV/AIDS, malnutrition, lack of sanitation, vaccinations, insufficient drugs, and an insufficient number of motivated healthcare workers. The World Health Organization attributes the tragic situation to wars that occurred before 1986 as well as the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The HIV/AIDS epidemic has resulted mainly from the mother-to-child transmission that spreads from one generation to the next, which could have easily been prevented from educating mothers and providing them with medical treatment. Medical treatment could protect them and their children. The knowledge of HIV, how people can contract it, their individual HIV status and counseling for the disease. These are several factors that assist in the prevention of HIV/AIDS and the HIV/AIDS epidemic, which is the leading cause of the detrimental state of child health in Uganda.

HIV in pregnancy is the presence of an HIV/AIDS infection in a woman while she is pregnant. There is a risk of HIV transmission from mother to child in three primary situations: pregnancy, childbirth, and while breastfeeding. This topic is important because the risk of viral transmission can be significantly reduced with appropriate medical intervention, and without treatment HIV/AIDS can cause significant illness and death in both the mother and child. This is exemplified by data from The Centers for Disease Control (CDC): In the United States and Puerto Rico between the years of 2014–2017, where prenatal care is generally accessible, there were 10,257 infants in the United States and Puerto Rico who were exposed to a maternal HIV infection in utero who did not become infected and 244 exposed infants who did become infected.

Child health and nutrition in Africa is concerned with the health care of children through adolescents in the various countries of Africa. The right to health and a nutritious and sufficient diet are internationally recognized fundamental human rights protected by international treaties and conventions on the right to life, as well as in charters, strategies and declarations. Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) 1, 4, 5 and 6 highlight, respectively, how poverty, hunger, child mortality, maternal health, the eradication of HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis and other diseases are of particular significance in the context of child health.

References

  1. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on November 22, 2009. Retrieved September 25, 2009.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  2. ↑ http://www.uniteforchildren.org/files/EIDWorkingPaperJune02.pdf%5B%5D
  3. 1 2 3 4 "UNITE FOR CHILDREN - Focus Areas - Focus areas: 4 P's". Archived from the original on August 15, 2009. Retrieved September 25, 2009.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "UNITE FOR CHILDREN - About - Global overview". Archived from the original on August 15, 2009. Retrieved September 25, 2009.
  5. 1 2 3 "Unite against AIDS". Archived from the original on September 25, 2009. Retrieved September 25, 2009.
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