IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/plo/pone00/0142580.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Children Living with HIV-Infected Adults: Estimates for 23 Countries in sub-Saharan Africa

Author

Listed:
  • Susan E Short
  • Rachel E Goldberg

Abstract

Background: In sub-Saharan Africa many children live in extreme poverty and experience a burden of illness and disease that is disproportionately high. The emergence of HIV and AIDS has only exacerbated long-standing challenges to improving children’s health in the region, with recent cohorts experiencing pediatric AIDS and high levels of orphan status, situations which are monitored globally and receive much policy and research attention. Children’s health, however, can be affected also by living with HIV-infected adults, through associated exposure to infectious diseases and the diversion of household resources away from them. While long recognized, far less research has focused on characterizing this distinct and vulnerable population of HIV-affected children. Methods: Using Demographic and Health Survey data from 23 countries collected between 2003 and 2011, we estimate the percentage of children living in a household with at least one HIV-infected adult. We assess overlaps with orphan status and investigate the relationship between children and the adults who are infected in their households. Results: The population of children living in a household with at least one HIV-infected adult is substantial where HIV prevalence is high; in Southern Africa, the percentage exceeded 10% in all countries and reached as high as 36%. This population is largely distinct from the orphan population. Among children living in households with tested, HIV-infected adults, most live with parents, often mothers, who are infected; nonetheless, in most countries over 20% live in households with at least one infected adult who is not a parent. Conclusion: Until new infections contract significantly, improvements in HIV/AIDS treatment suggest that the population of children living with HIV-infected adults will remain substantial. It is vital to on-going efforts to reduce childhood morbidity and mortality to consider whether current care and outreach sufficiently address the distinct vulnerabilities of these children.

Suggested Citation

  • Susan E Short & Rachel E Goldberg, 2015. "Children Living with HIV-Infected Adults: Estimates for 23 Countries in sub-Saharan Africa," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 10(11), pages 1-17, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0142580
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0142580
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0142580
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0142580&type=printable
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1371/journal.pone.0142580?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Monica Grant & Sara Yeatman, 2012. "The relationship between orphanhood and child fostering in sub-Saharan Africa, 1990s–2000s," Population Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 66(3), pages 279-295.
    2. Benjamin Davis & Marie Gaarder & Sudhanshu Handa & Jenn Yablonski, 2012. "Evaluating the impact of cash transfer programmes in sub-Saharan Africa: an introduction to the special issue," Journal of Development Effectiveness, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 4(1), pages 1-8, March.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Stoeffler, Quentin & Mills, Bradford, 2014. "Households’ investments in durable and productive assets in Niger: quasi-experimental evidences from a cash transfer project," 2014 Annual Meeting, July 27-29, 2014, Minneapolis, Minnesota 170212, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    2. van den Bold, Mara & Quisumbing, Agnes R. & Gillespie, Stuart, 2013. "Women’s empowerment and nutrition: An evidence review:," IFPRI discussion papers 1294, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).
    3. Solomon Asfaw & Silvio Daidone & Benjamin Davis & Josh Dewbre & Alessandro Romeo & Paul Winters & Katia Covarrubias & Habiba Djebbari, 2012. "Analytical Framework for Evaluating the Productive Impact of Cash Transfer Programmes on Household Behaviour – Methodological Guidelines for the From Protection to Production Project," Working Papers 101, International Policy Centre for Inclusive Growth.
    4. Khamsiah Ismai & Muhamad Farhan Mohamad Shukri & Mastura Badzis & Ssekamanya Siraje Abdallah, 2016. "The Prospect of Implementing Safety Education in Malaysian Primary Schools: from the Perspective of School Administrators," European Journal of Social Sciences Education and Research Articles, Revistia Research and Publishing, vol. 3, ejser_v3_.
    5. Sudhanshu Handa & Amber Peterman & David Seidenfeld & Gelson Tembo, 2016. "Income Transfers and Maternal Health: Evidence from a National Randomized Social Cash Transfer Program in Zambia," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 25(2), pages 225-236, February.
    6. Mateusz J. Filipski & J. Edward Taylor & Karen E. Thome & Benjamin Davis, 2015. "Effects of treatment beyond the treated: a general equilibrium impact evaluation of Lesotho's cash grants program," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 46(2), pages 227-243, March.
    7. Maurice Nirere, 2022. "Do social protection cash transfers reduce poverty in Rwanda? Evidence from an econometric analysis of Vision Umurenge Program Direct Support," African Development Review, African Development Bank, vol. 34(1), pages 114-126, March.
    8. Scarlato, Margherita & D'Agostino, Giorgio, 2016. "The political economy of cash transfers: a comparative analysis of Latin American and sub-Saharan African experiences," IDOS Discussion Papers 6/2016, German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS).
    9. Maria Klara Kuss & Franziska Gassmann & Firminus Mugumya, 2022. "How Inclusive are the Local Economic Impacts of Social Protection in Uganda?," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 34(5), pages 2156-2178, October.
    10. Noemi Pace & Silvio Daidone & Benjamin Davis & Luca Pellerano, 2016. "Does "soft conditionality" increase the impact of cash transfers on desired outcomes? Evidence from a randomized control trial in Lesotho," Working Papers 2016:33, Department of Economics, University of Venice "Ca' Foscari".
    11. Lauren Gaydosh, 2015. "Childhood Risk of Parental Absence in Tanzania," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 52(4), pages 1121-1146, August.
    12. Basil Msuha & Luitfred D. Kissoly & Arnold Kihaule, 2024. "Design and Implementation of Social Safety Nets in Tanzania: A Systematic Review," International Journal of Economics and Financial Issues, Econjournals, vol. 14(1), pages 180-203, January.
    13. Owusu-Addo, Ebenezer & Renzaho, Andre M.N. & Smith, Ben J., 2018. "Evaluation of cash transfer programs in sub-Saharan Africa: A methodological review," Evaluation and Program Planning, Elsevier, vol. 68(C), pages 47-56.
    14. Bhagowalia, Priya, 2020. "Impact of Conditional Cash Transfers on Health and Nutrition," MPRA Paper 97972, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    15. Benjamin Schwab, 2020. "In the Form of Bread? A Randomized Comparison of Cash and Food Transfers in Yemen," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 102(1), pages 91-113, January.
    16. Gentilini,Ugo, 2016. "The revival of the"cash versus food"debate : new evidence for an old quandary ?," Policy Research Working Paper Series 7584, The World Bank.
    17. Gilliland, Ted E. & Sanchirico, James N. & Taylor, J. Edward, 2018. "Environmental Impacts of Cash Transfer Programs: Implications for the Welfare of Poor Communities in Developing Countries," 2018 Annual Meeting, August 5-7, Washington, D.C. 274244, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    18. Rachel Sabates-Wheeler & Nikhil Wilmink & Abdul-Gafaru Abdulai & Richard de Groot & Tayllor Spadafora, 2020. "Linking Social Rights to Active Citizenship for the Most Vulnerable: the Role of Rights and Accountability in the ‘Making’ and ‘Shaping’ of Social Protection," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 32(1), pages 129-151, January.
    19. Nicky Pouw & Katja Bender, 2022. "The Poverty Reduction Effect of Social Protection: The Pros and Cons of a Multidisciplinary Approach," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 34(5), pages 2204-2223, October.
    20. Barrientos Armando & Villa Juan Miguel, 2015. "Evaluating Antipoverty Transfer Programmes in Latin America and Sub-Saharan Africa. Better Policies? Better Politics?," Journal of Globalization and Development, De Gruyter, vol. 6(1), pages 147-179, June.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0142580. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: plosone (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.