• E-mail
• Print
• Comment
• Font Size
• Digg
• del.icio.us
• Discuss article

Global Campaign Launched to Protect Children Against HIV/AIDS

Posted on: Wednesday, 26 October 2005, 09:01 CDT

Global campaign Launched to protect children against HIV/AIDS

BANGKOK, Oct. 25 (Xinhua) -- Children and young people have increasingly been infected by HIV/AIDS in Asia and the Pacific, which could cause severe consequences, the United Nations Children 's Fund (UNICEF) and Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS ( UNAIDS) warned here Tuesday.

At the launch of the global campaign "Unite for Children, Unite for AIDS", the UN agencies urged enhanced care and protection for children and young people, the most vulnerable group among people infected by HIV/AIDS.

The campaign aims to drastically reduce new infections among children and young people, scale up service to prevent mother-to- child transmission and make paediatric drugs available.

"The face of HIV/AIDS are becoming younger. Not only children are dying, their lives are being damaged in so many ways," said Anupama Rao Singh, UNICEF East Asia and Pacific Regional Director.

By 2004, an estimated 120,700 children were living with HIV/ AIDS in the Asia and Pacific region. Some were infected at birth, others were thorough injecting drug or unsafe sex.

In Thailand, 50-60 percent of new infections each year are children and young people below 24. In Vietnam, 63 percent of AIDS patients are under 30.

Anupama said among all children who have been orphaned or made vulnerable by HIV/AIDS, less than 10 percent receive public support or services. In 2004, less than one percent of children infected with the virus received antiretroviral treatment (ART) in Asia and the Pacific.

On the other hand, efforts to provide protection and support to affected children were often hampered by stigma and discrimination, which results in abandoning of babies by HIV-positive mothers and ignorance of nurses or driving out of school by teachers in some countries.

"Our success depends on the change of attitude and behavior especially those of younger generation. We must engage and involve young people and mobilize them to take control of their lives and take actions to avoid high-risk behaviors," Sombath Somphone, executive director of participatory development training center of Lao PDR, pointed out at Tuesday's panel for launch of the campaign.

He noted that progress can only be made with the engage of young people as partners in determining plans and priorities.

"We must give young people opportunities to decide what's best for them, get them to think for themselves and provide opportunities for them to improve the circumstances through their own action," Sombath said.

The campaign requires commitment from governments down to community groups, media institution and regional organizations. To achieve success, they have to work together in a more sustained and coordinated manner to education and inform people about HIV/ AIDS as well as demonstrating compassion and support to those infected, he added.

Source: Xinhua News Agency - CEIS

More News in this Category