An estimated 2.1 million children were living with HIV/AIDS at the end of 2007, 2 million of them in sub-Saharan Africa. Most of these children acquire HIV from their HIV-infected mothers during pregnancy, birth or breastfeeding. With successful interventions the risk of mother-to-child HIV transmission can be reduced to 2%. However, such interventions are still not widely accessible or available in most resource-limited countries where the burden of HIV is highest, and an estimated 1 500 children get newly infected with HIV each day. The number of children receiving ART increased from about 75 000 in 2005 to almost 200 000 in 2007.
WHO develops normative guidance for use by policymakers and programme managers and provides support for governments and national stakeholders in developing and implementing HIV prevention, testing, care and treatment services for children. |
