Preventing mother-to-child transmission and providing paediatric treatment
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© UNICEF/HQ000126/Noorani |
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A mother and child reading an AIDS brochure in Cambodia |
The Issues
The face of the global HIV/AIDS epidemic today is increasingly young and female. This is true in our region, where the proportion of women infected by HIV has been steadily rising. This rise means more children are becoming infected with HIV.
- HIV-positive mothers can pass the virus to their babies. Without any medical intervention, between 20 and 45 per cent of women living with HIV will transmit the virus to their children during pregnancy, delivery or breastfeeding.
- Mother-to-child transmission can be greatly reduced. When appropriate interventions are properly followed, the risk of mother-to-child transmission falls to as low as 2 per cent.
- Prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) interventions are not widely available. Stigma and discrimination also stop many women from seeking treatment.
- Few children receive antiretroviral therapy (ART). In 2005, only 1 per cent of the 8,500 children in our region who needed ART received it.
- Without ART, HIV can be fatal. Some 30 per cent of infected children die by their first birthday, and 50 per cent die within their second year of life.
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© UNICEF/HQ000132 |
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Hospital workers taking health messages, including AIDS awareness, to mothers in Cambodia |
UNICEF in Action
UNICEF is spearheading efforts to introduce and expand PMTCT and paediatric interventions in our region. This includes:
- Preventing HIV infections among women of child-bearing age;
- Preventing unintended pregnancies among HIV-positive women;
- Providing ART for HIV-positive mothers and their babies;
- Introducing safe delivery practices; • Giving advice and support on infant-feeding methods;
- Providing social, economic and psychosocial support for infected women, children and families; and
- Advocating for better paediatric formulations and a scale-up of paediatric treatment.
