Back to FAQs What are the health issues facing children with HIV/AIDS?
• HIV test results in children under the age of 15-18 months do not give a clear result. Children born to HIV positive women have HIV antibodies from their mother in their blood until this age. • HIV has serious effects on the health of children. They often grow poorly and are more at risk of infectious diseases. These are often more severe than in other children. • Without antiretroviral treatment, 60-75% of children with HIV die before the age of five years. With effective antiretroviral treatment, this figure can be reduced below 20%. • Children with HIV have a range of health needs in addition to access to antiretroviral treatment. These include immunization and prevention and early treatment of all infections. These things can help a Child with HIV stay healthy even where there is no access to antiretroviral drugs. In this section, the term children living with HIV/AIDS is used to mean HIV positive children. However, some documents use the term more broadly to describe all childre
