In 2004, 30,000 children were estimated to be living with HIV and AIDS. However, a significant percentage of poorer children, and those from minority groups, weren’t diagnosed early enough to receive the treatment they needed.

Early diagnosis is critical for infants born to HIV infected mothers, to help ensure effective treatment. In Thailand, most of these infants are tested during their second year of life, which is too late for between 10 to 20 per cent.

A project we run in conjunction with Chiang Mai University, promotes access to HIV testing, initially in 13 participating hospitals, in areas with high infection rates. By using a new DNA analysis technique that can identify HIV a few months after a baby is born.

The early diagnosis programme is set up to test babies at two months and again at four months for confirmation. This means that a result can be confirmed early in the child’s life; to either put the parents minds at rest or to enable doctors to give early treatment which helps reduce the mortality of infants who are born to HIV-infected mothers.

While supporting the Thai government’s national HIV and AIDS treatment programme, this project promotes access to HIV testing and antiretroviral treatments for HIV-infected children who have limited access under the national health system.