Norman Baker MP Member of Parliament for Lewes constituency

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HIV/AIDS in children worldwide

I am determined that across the world countries should do everything within their power to stop the spread of HIV/AIDS and to treat and support those living with HIV/AIDS, particularly the many children who either suffer from or have been orphaned by this terrible disease.

My Lib Dem colleagues and I welcome the recent progress that has been made on this issue, particularly the G8 commitment to work for universal access to HIV/AIDS treatment by 2010. However, there is still a lot more that needs to be done and we certainly cannot allow the Government to rest on its laurels. For this reason I believe it is important that interim targets are introduced to ensure that the 2010 goal is met.

I agree that a clear action plan is needed to achieve these targets, particularly with relation to the prevention, treatment and care of children. With this in mind the Lib Dem International Development team is pressing the UK Government to develop of a Global HIV Prevention Strategy and to provide long-term support to communities affected by AIDS.

Support for children at risk from HIV/AIDS must include strategies for supporting families, especially mothers. I have been shocked to find that many HIV-positive mothers given anti-retroviral drugs to minimise mother-to-baby transmission are then not treated for HIV/AIDS themselves, virtually guaranteeing that their newborns will be orphans within a few years.

As you may be aware, pharmaceutical companies have not developed paediatric versions of anti-retrovirals since there is little need for such treatment in the developed world. Merely cutting down adult doses for children is not an adequate solution. Doctors very often have to rely on diluting anti-retroviral drugs into syrups and solutions which is far from ideal. In this form the dosage is difficult to administer and the drugs must be kept refrigerated - difficult in parts of the world which have little or no access to electricity. Diagnosis of HIV/AIDS is also far more complex in children under two years of age, and again, little effort has been made to develop cheap diagnostic tools for this group. We are urging the British Government to press the pharmaceutical companies on this issue.

The Government must also apply pressure on the USA to make sure that, as the largest donor of funds for combating HIV/AIDS, it uses its resources in the most effective and evidence-based manner. President Bush's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) has elements we welcome, in particular an extra $9 billion in funding, of which at least 10% will help orphans and vulnerable children. However, it is of concern to us that only 20% of all PEPFAR aid will be allocated to prevention, and the programme only promotes the use of condoms for high-risk groups.

I believe that it is crucial that prevention programmes are not sacrificed to treatment programmes, and that prevention must include promotion of condom use, not over-reliance on abstinence and faithfulness programmes. Experience shows that programmes need to tackle all aspects of HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention to be successful. Social campaigns are vital to ensure that treatment is effective, and issues such as the stigma suffered by people living with HIV/AIDS and the status of women in society need to be addressed. Failure to do so, and failure to tailor programmes to local conditions is guaranteed to lead to increased rates of infection. We are pressing the British Government to use its HIV/AIDS funding to balance out the bias in the US PEPFAR strategy.

Rest assured that we will continue to hold the Government to account over their actions in combating the effects of this catastrophe and will make sure that the children and families living with HIV/AIDS are not forgotten.