HIV/AIDS

HIV and AIDS are not exactly the same thing; HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus, a disease that infects and gradually destroys an infected person's immune system. This reduces their protection against infections and cancers. HIV has to be passed through bodily fluids - either through sexual intercourse, mother to baby, or blood to blood. Initially, someone living with HIV may show no symptoms of HIV infection as their immune system manages to control it. It is possible to live a normal life, even if you are HIV infected, although in most cases anti-HIV drugs are needed to keep it under control. It is often difficult to identify HIV symptoms because they are very common symptoms that could be related to a number of other illnesses.

AIDS, on the other hand, stands for Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome. It is not a single disease or condition, but is a term that describes the point at which HIV can no longer be controlled, and a person becomes susceptible to illness as a result of the breakdown of their immune system. People do not actually die from 'AIDS'; they die from the cancers, pneumonia, or other conditions that may take hold when their immune system has been weakened by HIV.

UNAIDS (the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS) facts:

• At the end of 2007 an estimated 2 million children worldwide under the age of 15 were living with HIV/AIDS.
• Approximately 500,000 children under this age had died from AIDS in 2003 alone.
• In seven sub-Saharan African countries, mortality due to HIV/AIDS in children under the age of five has increased from 20 to 40%
• Every hour, around 31 children die as a result of HIV/AIDS

Yet the effects of HIV/AIDS do not only have to be felt by a child who is actually infected; many children are orphaned because their parents have died of HIV/AIDS, and others end up tied to their home as carers for sick relatives. Children end up being the principle wage earners in a family, they are denied education because community members are killed by the disease, and they may be isolated by that community for their association with HIV/AIDS and its victims.

Although this is a tragic story, huge developments have taken place as a result of charities and NGOs seeking to help children in their defence agains the disease. Simple actions, such as ensuring that all medical equipment is thoroughly sterilised, have drastically reduced the number of child victims in countries such as Romania. Many groups and organisations carry out HIV prevention programmes on a community level, educating people on how to avoid infection and supplying condoms. Usually these campaigns also attempt to address the stigma and discrimination  surrounding HIV/AIDS, which can prevent communities from discussing it openly. At the UN World Summit in 2005, the world's leaders pledged they would try to universal access to treatment by 2010. Nevertheless, the emphasis must be placed upon prevention rather than cure, and the role of the communities in coming to terms with HIV/AIDS is crucial.

Useful Websites

www.avert.org

A wealth of information on HIV/AIDS, its effects upon children and communities, and the fight for prevention

www.womenchildrenhiv.org

Current developments in the fight against HIV/AIDS, and a useful resource library