Here are some more of answers to the questions our community asked the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric Aids Foundation.

My question is, do the children at the camp or in Uganda get the same medicines that the adults do?

Yes, children get a combination of three different types of drugs that help suppress the HIV virus. But children receive smaller doses than adults do, and the youngest children receive their medication in special syrups because they can’t swallow pills.

If the parents aren’t educated, how do you foresee the children’s future?

It is very important for parents—especially mothers—to be educated about how they prevent the transmission of HIV to their children.  A simple drug regimen is available to help prevent the transmission of HIV from a mother to her baby, but mothers and families need to be made aware of this treatment and how to use it most effectively.

What is the average time it takes from HIV to change to AIDS?

The time it takes HIV infection to change or progress to AIDS can vary quite a bit depending on a person’s overall level of health and their access to nutritious foods, clean water, and medicines.  Among children with HIV who do not have access to medicines, roughly half will become very sick from AIDS and possibly die before their second birthday, with the remaining children developing AIDS when they reach school age or adolescence. Giving medicines to children with HIV when they are still very young can greatly reduce their risk of developing AIDS.

What’s the average age of kids attending the camp?

The children range in age from 12 to 18 years old.

Do the older kids mentor to the younger?

Children who are older and who have experienced one or more camps are often our counselors and mentors for the newer children at camp.  Foundation staff usually lets these former campers take the lead, as newer, younger campers sometimes find it easier to relate and talk to former campers than to older members of the staff.

Do the parents participate at all ?

Most of the children who participate in the camps are orphans.  However, even if children do have one parent living, the camp is run mainly by counselors, pediatricians and important individuals from the surrounding area in Uganda, so parents generally do not participate.

How prevalent is HIV/AIDS in African countries compared to other countries?

Africa has the highest HIV prevalence of any continent in the world. Of the 33 million people living with HIV worldwide, about 22 million (67%) live in sub-Saharan Africa.

What do these camps do for the kids in Uganda?

These camps help children understand and accept their HIV status and how to live “positively”.  They also give kids the chance to enjoy themselves, meet new people, learn about their disease and how to maintain their health, and to share their stories and learn from their peers.

What do you feel when you know that elves on Elf Island are out there helping you out? What goes through your mind when you know that someone is out there trying to help you?

We need all the help we can get in the fight against pediatric AIDS. So it makes us feel really good to know that we have so much support here on Elf Island!

How many children are affect by HIV & Aids in Uganda? How many will be able to attend the camp?

According to the United Nations, there are about 130,000 children (aged 15 and under) living with HIV/AIDS in Uganda. About 60-80 children attend the Ariel Camps each year.

Remember to keep checking the blog, more answers to your questions will be posted throughout the Camp GoodQuest.  Let’s keep building the virtual camps to build a REAL camp in Uganda.  Now, to the GoodQuest!!!

This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 30th, 2009 at 4:14 pm and is filed under Camp GoodQuest, G4G, GoodQuest. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.