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Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is caused
by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), which damages or kills
the cells that are responsible for fighting infection. An AIDS diagnosis
is received when an HIV infection becomes advanced and meets certain
criteria determined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC). By 2004, 9,443 cases of AIDS in children younger than 13
had ever been reported in the United States. Pediatric AIDS represents
approximately one percent of all cases ever reported.
In 2004, an estimated 48 new AIDS cases were diagnosed
among children, all of which were attributed to transmission through
the mother before or during birth (perinatal transmission). The
number of new cases of pediatric AIDS has declined substantially
since 1992, when 945 cases were reported. A major factor in this
decline is the increasing use of antiretroviral therapy before,
during, and after pregnancy to reduce perinatal transmission of
HIV, the virus that causes AIDS. In 1994, the U.S. Public Health
Service recommended this treatment for all HIV-positive pregnant
women, and in 1995 routine HIV counseling and voluntary testing
for all pregnant women was recommended. It is expected that the
perinatal transmission rate will continue to decline with increased
use of treatments and obstetric procedures.
Racial and ethnic minorities are disproportionately
represented among pediatric AIDS cases. Non-Hispanic Blacks compose
approximately 15 percent of the child population but represent almost
60 percent of all pediatric AIDS cases.
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Horizontal Bar Chart: Estimated Numbers of AIDS
Cases in Children Under Age 13, by Race/Ethnicity: Through 2004
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Bar Chart: Estimated Numbers of AIDS Cases in Children
Under Age 13, by Year of Diagnosis: 1992-2004
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