Abstract : This paper reviews epidemiological characteristics of children affected by HIV/AIDS, coping mechanisms and current knowledge of the impact of HIV on children. Areas where important gaps in knowledge exist are highlighted.
The paper assesses the impact of HIV/AIDS in amongst various groups and in various sectors, these include:
- orphans and their extended family: where traditional values are maintained such as in rural communities, the extended family safety net is better preserved. Where countries are more urbanised, extended family safety nets are weakened
- children and families: HIV/AIDS has an impact on children, families and communities which is incremental. The continuous attrition rate of deaths in young adults leads to social and economic impacts which increase with the severity and duration of the epidemic
- community economics: the HIV/AIDS epidemic is taking its heaviest toll at household and community level, for example, in Kenya, most families that agreed to take in foster children were living below the poverty line, whereas wealthier relatives tended to maintain minimal links with orphans
- inheritance practices: in much of Africa, widows are inherited through remarriage to a brother of the deceased husband; property is inherited by paternal relatives. Paternal relatives refuse to take orphans in them in if bride price is not paid leaving orphans to slip through the extended family safety net
- migration: urban-rural relocation may occur with the onset of serious illness in the "going-home-to-die syndrome". Intra-rural or intra-urban migration of orphans may occur leading to clustering of orphan households in poor areas
- education: often the financial strain led to households with orphans failing to raise funds to send their own children to school
health and nutrition: fostered children in West Africa experienced higher mortality than other children because of poorer care, malnutrition and reduced access to modern medicine
- psychosocial impact: stigmatisation, dropping out of school, changed friends, increased workload, discrimination and social isolation of orphans all increase the stress and trauma of parental death (Author's modified)
Notes : 0269-9370; Review; Review, Tutorial
Web site : http://www.repssi.co.zw/pss_files/OVC/ovc_impact.pdf