A new report entitled ‘Children and AIDS: Third Stocktaking Report, 2008’ is advocating for increased HIV testing for newborns as young as six-weeks-old.

“The prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV is not only effective, but also a human right,” said UNAIDS Executive Director Dr. Peter Piot.

The report jointly prepared by UNICEF, the World Health Organization, UNAIDS and the United Nations Population Fund, focuses on four core components: the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT); paediatric treatment; preventing infection among adolescents and protection and care for children affected by HIV/AIDS.

The report advocates for

• An increase in programmes that provide early infant diagnosis of HIV to enable appropriate treatments to begin earlier
• More access to antiretroviral drugs for pregnant women in need of treatment
• Integration of HIV and AIDS services with primary health care programmes
• Improved quality of information for mothers on infant feeding and HIV in many countries
• Expanded protection and care for the approximately 15 million children globally who have lost either one or both of their parents due to AIDS.
• Combined prevention programmes that are more relevant to young people and adolescents
• A greater understanding of the vulnerability of girls to HIV

“We are making real progress in terms of prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV and of treatment of young people, but at the same time there is a huge amount that needs to be done,” said UNICEF Chief of HIV/AIDS Jimmy Kolker.

Read the Report: Children and AIDS: Third Stocktaking Report, 2008 (pdf)