Young People, Children
& HIV - Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
1. How many children are known to
be HIV+ in the UK?
As of March 2006, 1769 children aged 0 - 14 have been diagnosed
with HIV/AIDS in the UK. If young people aged 15 - 19 are added, the
figure for children and young people aged 0 - 19 years is 4314.
2. How many children are living worldwide with HIV/AIDS?
Of the 40 million people living with HIV/AIDS worldwide, nearly
2.7 million are children under the age of 15, and 11.8 million
are young people aged 15-24. An estimated 3 million people
die from AIDS-related causes every year.
3. How many children, born to HIV+ mothers in the UK, have HIV infection themselves?
In the period from 1978 to March 2006, a total of
6,746 children have been born to infected mothers in the UK. Of these, 1,388 had
been diagnosed with HIV infection.
The proportion of such babies
infected with HIV has fallen sharply since the widespread introduction
of antiretroviral therapy and other interventions, which can
dramatically cut the chances of HIV transmission from mother to child.
The remaining 5,358 children born to infected mothers are either of indeterminate HIV status or not
infected. Nevertheless, they are still affected by their mother’s
illness.
3. How does a child become HIV+?
Around 90% of children contract the virus by mother to baby
transmission. Children can also be infected via blood/blood
products if these are not screened for HIV and by contaminated
needles. Mother to baby transmission only accounts for about 2% of total HIV infections.
4. Are all children born to an HIV+ mother automatically
HIV+ themselves?
No. All babies born of positive mums are born with antibodies
to HIV, but this does not necessarily mean that they are
infected themselves. Once born, sophisticated blood tests
(such as the PCR tests, which look for genes of the virus
in the blood and not for the antibodies) make it possible
to tell at an early stage if a baby is infected. We can
now be over 99% certain about the diagnosis by the time
the child is 3 to 4 months old. In uninfected children,
antibodies to HIV are usually undetectable by 15 to 18 months
of age.
5. Is there any known cure for a child who is HIV+?
The virus cannot be eliminated completely from their system
if they are HIV infected. Access to the most up-to-date
treatments allows suppression of the virus and control of
symptoms.
6. How long can a child born with HIV survive?
In the UK, life expectancy for children has improved and subsequently
increased with the development of combination therapy. Today
for example, adolescents who acquired HIV at birth have now
reached their 20th birthday. Therefore, as treatment and research
advances there is hope for a much improved quality of life.
There is a small core of children who are "long-term
non-progressors" aged between 12-16 who have yet to start
on any HIV therapy. This is a promising sign of healthy living
in children and highlights the importance of a good nutritional
diet. This gives us hope for a more optimistic future for
today’s children.
NB This
is often dependant on the individuals’ inherited and
genetic make-up.
7. What are some of the social issues for children
living with HIV?
Specific to children:
• May be caring for sick relatives at home
• Become responsible for themselves at an earlier
age: often dressing themselves and walking themselves to
school
• May find that their parent is less able to play
games that are physically demanding
• May find that their parent is less able to attend
events at school to watch them perform (due to ill health)
• May have a stressful home life
• May be on medication themselves
• Younger children may face more than one bereavement
• Issues of adoption or fostering may be on the horizon
• Their family may have little money, perhaps because
a parent is too ill to work
• Children may feel powerless / not involved in decision
making
• Secrecy: Children often have to keep HIV status
a secret at school (fear of stigma)
• For infected siblings, the uninfected child often
feels jealous for not receiving all the attention.
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