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. 2010 Dec;86 Suppl 2(Suppl_2):ii56-61.
doi: 10.1136/sti.2010.046201.

Under-5 mortality due to HIV: regional levels and 1990-2009 trends

Karen Stanecki  1 , Juliana Daher, John Stover, Priscilla Akwara, Mary Mahy
Affiliations

Under-5 mortality due to HIV: regional levels and 1990-2009 trends

Karen Stanecki et al. Sex Transm Infect. 2010 Dec.

Abstract

Background: Since at least the late 1990s, HIV has been viewed as a major threat to efforts by countries to reduce under-5 mortality. Previous work has documented increased under-5 mortality due to HIV from 1990 to 1999 in Africa. The current analysis presents estimates and trends in under-5 mortality due to HIV in low- and middle-income countries by region up to 2009.

Methods: The analyses are based on the national models of HIV and AIDS produced by country teams in coordination with UNAIDS and its partners for the years 1990-2009. These models produce a time series of estimates of HIV-related mortality as well as overall mortality in children aged <5 years.

Results and conclusion: These analyses indicate that, in 2009, HIV accounted for roughly 2.1% (1.2-3.0%) of under-5 deaths in low- and middle-income countries and 3.6% (2.0-5.0%) in sub-Saharan Africa. The percentage of under-5 deaths due to HIV has been falling in the last decade--for example, from 2.6% (1.6-3.5%) in 2000 to 2.1% (1.2-3.0%) in 2009 in low- and middle-income countries and from 5.4% (3.3-7.3%) in 2000 to 3.6% (2.0-5.0%) in 2009 in sub-Saharan Africa. This fall in the percentage of under-5 deaths due to HIV has been driven by a combination of factors including scale-up of prevention of mother-to-child transmission programmes and treatment for pregnant women and children, as well as a decrease in the prevalence of HIV among pregnant women.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing interests: None.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Number of deaths due to HIV in children aged <5  years in sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, Eastern Europe and Asia, 1990–2009.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Proportion of under-5 mortality attributable to HIV in low- and middle-income countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, Eastern Europe and Asia, 1990–2009.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Proportion of under-5 mortality attributable to HIV in sub-Saharan Africa, 1990–2009.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Proportion of under-5 mortality attributable to HIV in African subregions, 1990–2009.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Number of under-5 deaths attributable to HIV in sub-Saharan Africa, 2009.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Proportion of under-5 deaths attributable to HIV in sub-Saharan Africa, 2009.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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