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Paediatric AIDS treatment numbers still low

    JOHANNESBURG

    The UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) expressed concern this week over the poor availability of anti-AIDS medication for HIV-positive children in Zambia.

    According to UNICEF Resident Representative Dr Stella Goings, fewer than 15,000 of the 92,000 children living with AIDS have access to child-friendly antiretrovirals (ARVs).

    She attributed the low treatment numbers to a lack of investment in manufacturing paediatric formulas by pharmaceutical companies.

    A spokesman for the Zambian Ministry of Health, Victor Mukonka, told the local Post newspaper that few children were receiving treatment because more adults than children required it.

    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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