More help needed for HIV-infected children in Argentina

UNICEF has called for better support, education and health-care provision for Argentinean children and teenagers affected by HIV/AIDS.

A report published by the United Nations children's organisation recommended a variety of measures to change both public opinion and the stigma associated with the disease, as well as increased levels of both treatment and prevention of HIV/AIDS in young people.

And the organisation also called for help for families when informing their children of their HIV status, along with ongoing medical care provision for the children of HIV-positive mothers.

Gladys Acosta Vargas, UNICEF representative for Argentina, said: "It is necessary to reinforce the strength of the family to sustain these children within public policies, and assign resources that diminish the risk of institutionalisation."

Figures provided by UNICEF indicated that 93 per cent of HIV cases in Argentina were caused through mother to child transmission.

According to World Health Organization figures, 130,000 Argentineans were living with HIV/AIDS in 2005, with over 4,000 deaths caused by the disease in the same year.

News brought to you by Global Health TV, covering the issues of Health in the Developing world