NIGERIA: UNICEF highlights impact of AIDS on kids

Nigerian children are paying a high price for HIV/AIDS, the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) warned on Tuesday during the launch of a global campaign aimed at addressing the issue.

According to UNICEF officials, AIDS claimed the life of a child under the age of 15 every minute globally, and yet children saw only a fraction of the resources dedicated to tackling the pandemic.

"With the current population growth rate, the potential devastation to this country without effective action will be enormous. There are already 1.8 million children orphaned by AIDS in Nigeria," the head of UNICEF in Nigeria, Ayalew Abai, said.

The agency plans over the next five years to meet children's needs in by preventing mother-to-child transmission, providing paediatric anti-AIDS treatment, preventing infection among adolescents and young people as well as protecting and supporting children affected by the pandemic.

Theme (s): Children,

[This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations]