One Moment

AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome) arose in the 1980s and since then has become a world-wide pandemic. HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) is a virus which attacks a person’s immune system. Using a person’s own cells, the HIV virus replicates and spreads, until a point where full-blown AIDS is reached. A person with AIDS has a very weak immune system, and can now be taken down by infections and diseases and otherwise healthy person would be able to fend off. In 2005, AIDS/HIV claimed 2-3 million lives, more than 570,000 of them were children.

AIDS/HIV and Children

OneMoment goes by the UNAIDS definition of ‘child’, that being any person under the age of 15. Today, it is thought that over 2.3 million children are currently living with AIDS/HIV - more than 10% who die as a direct result of AIDS are children. HIV is most prevalent in Sub-Saharan Africa, however large numbers of people living with the virus are also found in many other areas of the world.

Most children who are infected with HIV contract it during their pregnancy, birth, or breast-feeding. If they last past this without being infected, HIV can also be transmitted through infected blood transfusions, unsterile medical equipment (such as needles), sexual abuse, voluntary sex, or rape.

In developing and transitional countries, 7.1 million people are in immediate need of life-saving AIDS drugs; of these, only 2.015 million (28%) are receiving the drugs.

More than 25 million people have died of AIDS since 1981. Africa has 12 million AIDS orphans.

There is Hope

In developed countries, proper education means that the chance of a mother passing HIV to a child is rare. If funds are available to educate parents in less-developed countries on how HIV is transmitted, many children could be saved from infection. Access to antiretroviral drugs while a mother is pregnant can also prevent the infection being passed (from 20-45% down to 2%!). Since mother-to-child infections account for nearly 90% of HIV infections in children, if such help were available the number of new infections could be decreased dramatically.

What is Being Done?

The Tories have pledged $120 million towards AIDS and HIV relief funding. Globally, funding in 2006 reached $8.3 billion dollars. Several charity groups are focusing on raising funds and awareness for AIDS relief. However, few are geared towards children specifically. UN Aids/WHO Epidemic General summary rarely spoke of facts for the below-15 age group.

How You Help

By just participating in OneMoment events you are already helping. All proceeds from ticket sales/entry fees/etc will go directly to an Canadian AIDS Charity at the end of the year. AIDS/HIV Awareness will also be addressed at each of our events. For more direct involvement, consider joining the OneMoment society (open to both Dalhousie and King’s students) to help volunteer at various events, as well as have a say in how the events are run. Either way, head over to the Contact Page and leave your name and email address - we’ll add you to the mailing list and let you know of upcoming events as well as volunteer opportunities.

You can help make a difference in the lives of children globally, so thank you!

Refs and Credits

Photographic permission given by the Photo Movement
Various AIDS figures from several websites: Avert, Unicef, UNAIDS, and Dr. Johnston’s Lecture on AIDS.