HIV/AIDS

Children and HIV/AIDS

 

Children and HIV/AIDS

In spite of concerted national efforts, the HIV/AIDS epidemic continues to spread in Jamaica. It is estimated that 27,000 people in Jamaica are living with HIV. Most HIV infections occur in urban areas. Close to 10 per cent of reported AIDS cases are among children under 18, and 20 per cent among young people aged 20-29 years, indicating that many were most likely infected during their adolescent years.

Preventing HIV Transmission from Mothers to Children

Major strides in the effort to prevent mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) in the public services have led to a dramatic decline in the mother-to-child transmission rate, from 25 per cent in 2002 to less than 5 per cent in 2008. Eighty-four pe cent of HIV-positive pregnant women in Jamaica now receive antiretroviral medication, and more than 90 per cent of infants born to HIV-positive mothers receive ARV prophylaxis. Continued efforts are required to protect the infants and mothers who remain exposed.

Providing Pediatric Treatment

Jamaica has also made significant progress in treating more HIV-positive children. Over 340 children are now on treatment, moving Jamaica closer to providing universal coverage. Sixty per cent of children and adults living with HIV are on antiretroviral treatment (August 2007, NHP), compared to 53 per cent at the end of 2006 and 50 per cent at the end of 2005.

Preventing Infection among Adolescents and Young People

Increased knowledge about HIV among Jamaican adolescents and young people, due largely to targeted interventions in schools and communities, is yet to bring significant results in terms of reducing risky sexual practices. According to a national survey, among sexually active 15-24 year olds, 76 per cent of males and 21.4 per cent of females say they are involved in multiple partnerships. Futhermore, 23 per cent of males and 43.5 per cent of females in this group did not use a condom in their last encounter. Transactional sexual relationships have emerged as a serious cause for concern among young people, with 39 per cent reporting that they have either given or received money or gifts in exchange for sex. Thirteen per cent of 15-24 year olds report that they have been forced to have sex, while even more alarming is the reported 14 per cent who say they have forced someone to have sex with them.

Protecting and Supporting Children Affected by AIDS

An estimated 20,000 children are affected by HIV/AIDS, of whom approximately 5,000 are orphaned. A rapid assessment conducted in 2002 concluded that children affected by HIV/AIDS suffer from poor nutrition, lack of schooling, trauma from witnessing the death of a family member, and non-supportive family and community environments. Stigma and discrimination associated with the disease are among the most challenging obstacles to mitigating the effects of the disease on children and place them at at a higher risk of exclusion and marginalization.

Programme Objectives

The overall programme’s objective is to strengthen national and parish capacities to prevent HIV infection among children and to care for children with HIV and AIDS or affected by the epidemic. Complementing financial support from the Global Fund and the World Bank, the Children and HIV/AIDS programme supports the implementation of the National HIV/AIDS Strategic Plan 2007-2012, including targeted, data-driven prevention, treatment, care and support interventions with vulnerable groups of children and adolescents, and the establishment of a comprehensive HIV/AIDS monitoring system under the management of one national coordinating authority.

Programme Strategies

The results will be achieved through a combination of national and parish/community level interventions.

National Level: The programme will strive to foster an enabling policy, planning and programming environment; improve data processing and monitoring, as well as the dissemination of data to inform advocacy and social mobilization efforts; and establish appropriate policy and legislative measures to enable effective service delivery, including measures to prevent stigma and discrimination. The quality life-skills based reproductive health and HIV/AIDS-related education will be implemented in primary and secondary schools nationwide.

Parish Level: Targeting the parishes with high HIV/AIDS prevalence, support will be provided to programmes providing age-appropriate, gender-sensitive sexual and reproductive health information, skills and services to reduce young people’s risk and vulnerability to HIV.  This will include the participation of adolescents and expansion of adolescent-friendly VCCT services as well as targeted outreach interventions providing information and skills-based education to especially vulnerable adolescent groups and to young male sexual partners of adolescent girls.

Community Level: UNICEF will support community projects to strengthen the capacity of duty-bearers to care for, support and protect children orphaned or made vulnerable by HIV/AIDS. The latter will also include improving the livelihoods of parents and providing equitable access to essential services and cash assistance, and home-based care.  Additionally, support will be continued to build the capacity of health care workers, teachers, psychologist and social workers to provide user-friendly and quality services to children and women.

Projects

1. Enabling Policy and Programming Environment

This project will support the comprehensive National Strategic Plan 2007-2011 and related sectoral policies and plans that aim at universality and prioritize access by children and adolescents (including especially vulnerable adolescents) to prevention, care, treatment, support and impact mitigation services. The project is national in scope and will benefit all children.

2. Improving Access to and Quality of Services

This project will compliment the Enabling Policy and Programming Environment Project, and will result in:

  • Ninety per cent of pregnant women who test HIV-positive and access care in the public health sector receive VCCT and ARV treatment during pregnancy and after delivery;
  • At least 90 per cent of their HIV-exposed infants receive ARV prophylaxis and at least 90 per cent of HIV-infected children receive quality ARV treatment;
  • Thirty per cent of children orphaned or made vulnerable by HIV/AIDS receive care, support and protection;
  • Eighty per cent of boys and girls in school access HIV/AIDS related information and gender-specific life skills based education that reduces their vulnerability to HIV infection; and
  • Sixty per cent especially vulnerable out-of-school boys and girls have access to information, skills based education and services to reduce their risk and vulnerability to HIV and unplanned pregnancies.

While national in its scope, this project will also support interventions in the two parishes with the highest HIV/AIDS prevalence.

3. Monitoring and Evaluation

This project will ensure provision of technical assistance and will support the improvement of data collection, processing and monitoring, as well as dissemination of data to inform advocacy and social mobilization efforts, to establish appropriate policy and legislative measures and to enable effective service delivery. The strategies of this project are geared towards improving: participation of adolescents in surveys and research, the establishment of baseline data and performance frameworks for pilot interventions in targeted parishes as well as on capacity building of decision makers and professionals to improve data quality, monitoring and reporting.

 

 

 

 
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