More focus on women and children - UNICEF

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) on Thursday said an urgent response was required to address social norms that fuel HIV/AIDS in Southern Africa. "This deadly combination of food shortages and HIV/AIDS has devastating consequences for women and girls. They've been hit hardest by HIV and are overwhelmingly taking on the burden of caring for the young, the old, the sick and the dying," UNICEF Executive Director, Carol Bellamy, said in a statement. Bellamy is visiting Southern Africa as global attention is focused on the war in Iraq. Six country's across Southern Africa are currently battling a lethal mix of drought-induced food shortages, and the AIDS epidemic.