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The impact of HIV/Aids on children
Child Advocacy Solidarity Trust
July 10, 2012

Zimbabwe has managed to significantly reduce HIV prevalence from as high as 26.5% in 1997 to 14.3% in 2009 among adults aged between 15 and 49. The HIV prevalence rate among pregnant women has gradually decreased from 20.1% to 16.1% by the end of 2009. The pandemic, however, is increasingly affecting and infecting young children due to numerous factors.

Mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) is the most common way by which children acquire HIV/ AIDS. Lack of knowledge about the prevention pill that pregnant women should take to prevent the transmission has become the major cause to such a catastrophe. The infection of HIV positive children thereby becomes the major cause of concern as it drastically leads to an increase in infant mortality rate. There is a great need in holding outreach programs in which young mothers are taught on the importance of avoiding the mother to child transmission as well as other ways of HIV transmission.

Notably, an increase in the number of child headed families has also led to an increase in young girls engaging in prostitution or them being vulnerable and being taken advantage of as they have no one to share with their experiences. The young girls, due to economic hardships, expose themselves to unprotected sex in a bid to fend for their siblings. There are an increasing number of cases where old people are told by traditionalists that sleeping with a virgin or young girl will get rid of their HIV positive status which has led to an increase in child abuse cases.

The HIV/AIDS pandemic has orphaned a lot of children. These children have ended up dropping out of school while a lot do not even enroll. Others have altogether failed to attain birth certificates and have found it daunting to even writing their grade seven national examinations. These children, in most instances, have been exposed to child abuse, ill- treatment and poverty hence the need for psychosocial support.

HIV/ AIDS weakens and destroys the immune system of the victim making one's body unable to fight off the constantly present pathogens in the environment. The individual will, therefore, succumb to any other diseases resulting in death if there is no treatment.

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