ABSTRACT
Since the onset of the HIV epidemic, the number of children infected with HIV has continued to escalate. According to UNAIDS estimates, in this millennium everyday some 1500 children under 15 years of age become infected with HIV, largely through mother to child transmission (UNAIDS/WHO, 1998; UNAIDS/WHO, 1999). In Barbados, the first case of AIDS was reported in 1984, and, since then to the end of 1999, there have been 3,233 cases of HIV/AIDS with 963 deaths from AIDS (Personal communication, Ministry of Health, Barbados). The prevalence of HIV infection among pregnant women in this country is 0.9%, with more than 90% of pregnant mothers being screened for HIV (Kumar & St. John, 2000a). Ever since the first case of pediatric AIDS was diagnosed in 1985, the number of cases has been increasing steadily (Kumar & St. John, 2000b). The increasing number of deaths resulting from the AIDS epidemic has exerted a devastating effect, especially in developing countries where antiretroviral therapy is virtually unaffordable, with the majority of the populations studied being economically disadvantaged. Infant mortality rates have significantly increased in relation to HIV/AIDS, especially in Sub-Sahara and other developing countries. The increasing number of children with HIV/AIDS, and of deaths of parents, has led to a growing concern regarding the upbringing and care of these children, both in the community and during hospitalization.
