Thursday, September 10, 2009

HIV :Improving Access to AIDS Treatment


As programs to provide care and treatment are being rapidly expanded, many of the 2.2 million HIV-infected children living in resource-poor countries are at serious risk of being left behind. Less than one percent of these children are receiving lifesaving care and treatment. Without it, 50 percent of children born with HIV will die before age two and the majority will die before age five. In 2004 alone, HIV/AIDS was responsible for the deaths of 510,000 children worldwide.

Because children are not just small adults, providing HIV care and treatment presents special challenges. These include the scarcity of programs offering a full continuum of care, from prevention to treatment; the shortage of health care providers trained in diagnosing and treating pediatric HIV/AIDS; limited access to diagnostic equipment suitable for the youngest children; the lack of drug formulations and dosing guidelines tailored to children's needs; the high cost of those drugs that are tested for children, and the lack of a common commitment to specific pediatric treatment targets. The Foundation is committed to helping HIV-infected children live long and healthy lives, and is leading the effort to accelerate the United States' assistance to children living with AIDS around the world.

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