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Rise in HIV-positive babies recorded

    JOHANNESBURG

    At least 15 percent of babies born in Lesotho each year are HIV-positive, the government and the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) have said.

    A joint report on the country's women and children, released on Wednesday, showed that between five and seven thousand newborns were infected - more than double the number just two years ago.

    The document said the majority of HIV infections were the result of mother-to-child transmission (MTCT), and a lack of education on MTCT prevention only worsened the situation.

    There are more than 91,000 AIDS orphans aged up to 18 years in the tiny mountain kingdom of Lesotho.

    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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