By Elizabeth Kameo
One of the focuses of the Commonwealth People’s Forum, during the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Uganda this year is health. And the HIV and AIDS pandemic came to the forefront. During the workshop that focused on Education as a tool for HIV prevention, on Monday, Dr Alex Coutinho stressed the significance of prevention in the fight against HIV and AIDS. And today when I spoke to Dr Joe Muwonge, Associate Director 
International Policy and Advocacy for World Vision, he noted that parents should live if children are to stop suffering the brunt of HIV and AIDS. How can parents live? Prevention should be at the forefront in the fight against HIV and AIDS.
Many people still think that HIV and AIDS is something that only affects adults but they could never be more wrong. At the end of 2006, there were 2.3 million children living with HIV and AIDS around the world. In the same year, over half a million children became newly infected. Of the 2.9 million people who died of AIDS during 2006, 1 in 10 was a child. Every hour, 40 children die as a result of AIDS.
I talked to Dr Muwonge about the effects of HIV and AIDS on children. Are these issues given paramount focus in the Commonwealth states or does more need to be done?
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