World AIDS Day 2009

In 1988, the UN General Assembly expressed deep concern at the pandemic proportions of the AIDS virus, and noting that the World Health Organization (WHO) had declared 1 December 1988 World AIDS Day, the General Assembly thus drafted resolution 43/15.

According to UNAIDS estimates, there are now 33.4 million people living with HIV, including 2.1 million children. During 2008 some 430,000 children became newly infected with the virus.  An estimated 2 million people died from AIDS in 2008, of which 1 in 7 was a child.

Of the 2.1 children infected with HIV 90% have contracted the disease from their mothers in the womb, at birth, or while breast-feeding. However there are cheap simple and effective medicines available, that can significantly mother to infant transmission of HIV. Sadly the urgent and lifesaving care that is needed does not reaching most of the mothers and children in developing countries. It is estimated that less than 10% of pregnant mothers have access to medical services, which could help prevent the transmission of HIV.

Unfortunately children suffer from HIV/AIDS in disproportion, as they are not only unwittingly infected, they are also loosing their parents in disproportion in many parts of the developing world. According to UNICEF 14 million children under the age of 15 have lost one or both parents to AIDS, and by 2010, this number is expected to exceed 25 million. To combat HIV/AIDS is one of the Millennium Development Goals, which all 191 United Nations Member States have pledged to meet by the year 2015. The World AIDS Campaign (WAC) has chosen as its theme from 2005 to 2010: “Stop AIDS. Keep the Promise.”

With over 2 million HIV-positive children living around the world, we cannot turn our heads.  However now looking back on the first year that I wrote about World AIDS Day three years ago, and the little change that has come in the numbers of children who are suffering.  In 2007 I reported that some 2.3 million children where HIV positive, this year the numbers have decreased to 2.1, however I wonder if this drop is cause for celebration or concern.  I find my self asking, ‘can we keep the promise?’, with only a year left in the World AIDS Campaign I am sadly doubtful.

However I am not one to give up hope, this is a fight we can win, but we must work to ensure we increase awareness, access to healthacare and anti-viral’s, and fight for children across the globe as well as right here at home.  I live in DC and our silent shame in the city is our almost crippling HIV/AIDS rates.  This is not their problem, it is our problem and we must unite for the sake of  and all of our children have a chance at life. 

Links:

AVERT
Children’s AIDS Fund
Children with Aids Project
I Stand with Magic
World Aids Day UK
World Vision
SOS Children
Children with Aids Charity
UNICEF
UN AIDS
The Official Unite Against Aids Concert on World Aids Day
The National Association of People with AIDS (NAPWA)
The World AIDS Campaign
ABC of HIV -PSA on HIV prevention
AIDSPortal events page World AIDS Day and other AIDS related events
Engenderhealth and World AIDS Day
AIDS.gov – The U.S. Federal Domestic HIV/AIDS Resource
HIVtest.org – Find an HIV testing site near you
AIDS and HIV Charities and Support Directory