New Children's HIV Toolkit
Helping Children Take an Active Role in HIV Treatment and Management
Of the 33 million people living with HIV/AIDS, UNICEF estimates that 2.1 million are children under the age of 15. While there is no cure for AIDS, antiretroviral treatments (ART) greatly extend the number of years an individual can live with the virus. According to UNAIDS, 200,000 children were receiving ART in 2007.
Coping with a chronic disease can be difficult for anyone. In the case of individuals receiving ART, the need to manage a complex medication schedule can make it even more confusing. It is even more difficult to explain the complexity of HIV and necessity of ART to young children.
Children often are not in control of their treatment since health care workers and family members administer medications. A newly developed toolkit is designed to help children unpack the issues related to their HIV and take a larger role in their own treatment. The program also hopes to encourage children to plan for the future and pursue their dreams. A final component of the program is training children to be advocates by increasing their understanding of HIV and reducing the stigma associated with the disease.
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