HIV/AIDS
Total procurement: $21.3 million¹
Millions of children are affected by the HIV/AIDS pandemic,
and most of them are from developing countries. Some 6 per
cent of those living with the disease are children, and 15
million children have been orphaned as a result of it. Despite
some progress and international commitment, most children
living with HIV/AIDS still do not have access to treatment.
Fighting HIV/AIDS is a UNICEF priority.
In consultation with partners, the role of UNICEF in the
procurement of HIV/AIDS-related supplies focuses on two issues:
procuring and delivering ARV medicines, diagnostic equipment
and test kits for children and their parents, and strengthening
the capacity of health services. These activities contribute
to the Millennium Development Goal of combating HIV/AIDS.
The increase in the procurement of ARV medicines is likely
to continue in coming years, and some consequences of the
scaling up are now apparent. More individuals on ART will
result in fewer children dying from the disease, and fewer
being orphaned. Increased voluntary testing has been observed
in countries where the availability of ARVs and test kits
has risen. Also, an improvement in general health services,
from the procurement of medicines through to the distribution
to children and their families, can be seen in countries that
commit to and undertake large-scale HIV/AIDS treatment programmes.
Africa received 83 per cent of the ARV medicines and 76 per
cent of the test kits procured by UNICEF in 2004.
¹ This figure does not include the procurement of
medicines for the treatment of opportunistic diseases.
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