Join our Fight Against AIDS

Great progress has been made in the fight against HIV/AIDS. The past decade saw a 15% reduction in new infections and a 22% decline in AIDS-related deaths. But children are still falling through the gaps.

• Every day, 1,000 children are newly infected with HIV—this is completely preventable.
• Only 23% of children living with HIV/AIDS are receiving the necessary treatment.

In response to this, UNICEF and the global community made the commitment to achieve an AIDS-free generation by 2015. We now have the tools and the know-how to make this objective a reality. UNICEF has identified three goals that will fulfill the promise of an AIDs-free generation:

• Reduce new HIV infections among children by 90%, especially by eliminating mother- to-child transmission
• Reduce new infections among adolescents and young people by half
• Provide treatment and support for all children and adolescents affected by and living with HIV/AIDS

UNICEF attended the 19th International AIDS Conference in Washington D.C., where participants took stock of the HIV response, shared recent scientific developments, and collectively charted a course forward. For UNICEF, the conference was an opportunity to renew the commitment to achieve an AIDS-free generation by 2015.

Follow the story of Mirriam Chongo and her son Peter

Mirriam Chongo and her baby Peter live in Zambia, where investment in HIV testing, care and prevention has made great progress.

Theirs is the story of PMTCT, prevention of mother to child transmission, the most promising path to an AIDS-free generation.

Click here to see the photo essay about how Mirriam protects her baby from HIV infection.

Breaking the Cycle 

The AIDS epidemic began over 25 years ago, and the disease continues to prey upon millions of children around the world. Over 2.1 million children are HIV–positive, with more than 370,000 children becoming newly infected with HIV / AIDS each year. 

This disease affects non–infected children as well—many are left orphaned or grow up in communities overwhelmed by the disease. To protect children from the devastation of AIDS, UNICEF focuses on the "4 P's:"

• Prevention of mother–to–child transmission through testing and treatment of pregnant women;
• Providing pediatric HIV/AIDS treatment;
• Preventing infection among young people; and
• Protecting and supporting children affected by HIV/AIDS.

UNICEF–supported programs provide care and education for millions of HIV–positive children, as well as those who are orphaned by the disease and those who are living with infected caregivers. UNICEF programs also teach adolescents and young adults about HIV prevention and educate communities about the harmful stigmas surrounding the disease. These stigmas, and the discrimination they produce, remain a considerable barrier to testing, treatment and prevention.

Related HIV / AIDS Links

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