Posted by Nigerian Tribune on
OVER 1.8 million children in Nigeria have lost their parents to AIDS while one million young people aged 20 to 29 are infected with HIV....
OVER 1.8 million children in Nigeria have lost their parents to AIDS while one million young people aged 20 to 29 are infected with HIV.
Also, 30 per cent of the children infected with the virus globally die before their first birthday while 50 per cent die before the age of two.
The United Nations International Children Education Fund (UNICEF) representative in Nigeria, Mr. Ayalew Abai, who disclosed this, said young people still represented the most affected age group.
Mr. Abai, who spoke during the 2006 Children's Day celebration in Abuja, said thousands of children in the country were living with sick and dying parents.
He said this could cause psychological distress, economic hardship, stigma and discrimination.
'Although the HIV rate in Nigeria has decreased from 5.8 per cent in 2001 to 4.4 per cent in 2005 according to the recent sentinel survey published by the Ministry of Health, the disease is still a long way from being brought under control," he said.
To prevent infections in young children, the UNICEF representative said the best approach was to prevent mother to child transmission.
In Nigeria, he said 230 health sites were providing services for the prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV.