![[Zambia] Poverty and the impact of HIV/AIDS has increased the numbers of street children in Zambia.](https://assets.thenewhumanitarian.org/s3fs-public/styles/responsive_large_2x/public/images/20063277.jpg.webp?itok=usi4zIiV "The poor are getting poorer")
Some countries made progress in protecting and supporting women and children affected by HIV/AIDS during 2006 but huge gaps remained, the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) warned in a new report this week.
In its 'Children and AIDS: A Stocktaking Report', the agency charged that the overall global response was still "tragically insufficient".
Although acknowledging that the demand for antiretroviral (ARV) drugs continued to outstrip supply in most instances, Festo Kavishe, the UNICEF Country Representative for Zimbabwe, told IRIN/PlusNews that most nations had made notable breakthroughs.
To counter the global threat, at least 20 countries in sub-Saharan Africa had completed national plans of action for the benefit of orphans and vulnerable children, and several others were not far behind.
"For instance, behaviour change [in Zimbabwe] has translated into a decline in HIV prevalence, and we have secured donor funds to implement a national plan of action for orphans and vulnerable children (OVC), and also a scaled-up response to prevention, treatment and care," he said.
Kavishe stressed that without ongoing strong leadership, commitment by all stakeholders and decisive action, the past year's gains might be lost. "The first generation affected by the AIDS epidemic has borne ... [the] brunt; we must ensure that the next generation is better prepared to deal with the challenge."
The report found that by the end of 2006, increasing numbers of children were receiving suitable, relevant treatment as a result of improved HIV testing, lower drug prices and simpler formulations, while the disparity between children with parents and orphans in accessing education was also being reduced in several countries.
However, some experts felt the positive trends mentioned in the report did little to address the ever-increasing orphan numbers, especially in South Africa, which was home to 1.2 million of the world's 15.2 million children who had lost one or both parent to the pandemic, according to UNICEF's estimate.
"Not only prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV needs greater coverage, but HIV-positive mothers and fathers need to have better access to the life-prolonging ARVs," said Dr Tammy Meyers, director of the Harriet Shezi Children's Clinic at Chris Hani Baragwanath hospital in Soweto, a sprawling township on the outskirts of Johannesburg.
An estimated 240,000 South African children aged under 15 were living with the HI virus by the end of 2006, and about 28 percent of these needed treatment but only 18 percent were getting it; only one-third of the country's 250,000 HIV-positive pregnant women received ARVs or PMTCT. Remarkably, this had been an improvement on 2005, when just 22 percent of women had access to these vital services.
Sharing the concerns raised in the UNICEF report, officials of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies are preparing to implement a considerable scale-up of related anti-AIDS services in 10 Southern African countries in 2007.
The Federation estimated that 1 million people a year were dying of AIDS-related illnesses in southern Africa, and the number of OVC had reached 4.6 million and was climbing.
"We will be meeting at the end of January in Johannesburg, South Africa, to encourage greater participation from with various donors, including business communities, in order for our plan to be materialised," said Jennifer Inger, regional HIV/AIDS delegate for the Federation.
Angola, Malawi, South Africa, Swaziland, and Zimbabwe are among the 10 countries that stand to benefit from the Federation's expanded AIDS programme.
Access the report: www.unicef.org
[Produced in partnership with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies: www.ifrc.org]
In its 'Children and AIDS: A Stocktaking Report', the agency charged that the overall global response was still "tragically insufficient".
Although acknowledging that the demand for antiretroviral (ARV) drugs continued to outstrip supply in most instances, Festo Kavishe, the UNICEF Country Representative for Zimbabwe, told IRIN/PlusNews that most nations had made notable breakthroughs.
To counter the global threat, at least 20 countries in sub-Saharan Africa had completed national plans of action for the benefit of orphans and vulnerable children, and several others were not far behind.
"For instance, behaviour change [in Zimbabwe] has translated into a decline in HIV prevalence, and we have secured donor funds to implement a national plan of action for orphans and vulnerable children (OVC), and also a scaled-up response to prevention, treatment and care," he said.
Kavishe stressed that without ongoing strong leadership, commitment by all stakeholders and decisive action, the past year's gains might be lost. "The first generation affected by the AIDS epidemic has borne ... [the] brunt; we must ensure that the next generation is better prepared to deal with the challenge."
The report found that by the end of 2006, increasing numbers of children were receiving suitable, relevant treatment as a result of improved HIV testing, lower drug prices and simpler formulations, while the disparity between children with parents and orphans in accessing education was also being reduced in several countries.
However, some experts felt the positive trends mentioned in the report did little to address the ever-increasing orphan numbers, especially in South Africa, which was home to 1.2 million of the world's 15.2 million children who had lost one or both parent to the pandemic, according to UNICEF's estimate.
"Not only prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV needs greater coverage, but HIV-positive mothers and fathers need to have better access to the life-prolonging ARVs," said Dr Tammy Meyers, director of the Harriet Shezi Children's Clinic at Chris Hani Baragwanath hospital in Soweto, a sprawling township on the outskirts of Johannesburg.
An estimated 240,000 South African children aged under 15 were living with the HI virus by the end of 2006, and about 28 percent of these needed treatment but only 18 percent were getting it; only one-third of the country's 250,000 HIV-positive pregnant women received ARVs or PMTCT. Remarkably, this had been an improvement on 2005, when just 22 percent of women had access to these vital services.
Sharing the concerns raised in the UNICEF report, officials of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies are preparing to implement a considerable scale-up of related anti-AIDS services in 10 Southern African countries in 2007.
The Federation estimated that 1 million people a year were dying of AIDS-related illnesses in southern Africa, and the number of OVC had reached 4.6 million and was climbing.
"We will be meeting at the end of January in Johannesburg, South Africa, to encourage greater participation from with various donors, including business communities, in order for our plan to be materialised," said Jennifer Inger, regional HIV/AIDS delegate for the Federation.
Angola, Malawi, South Africa, Swaziland, and Zimbabwe are among the 10 countries that stand to benefit from the Federation's expanded AIDS programme.
Access the report: www.unicef.org
[Produced in partnership with the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies: www.ifrc.org]
This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions
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