Speaking from Tanzania in recognition of World AIDS Day, December 1, the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation’s regional director of pediatric care and treatment said that more must be done worldwide to address HIV/AIDS among children, Voice of America reports.

“There are more than 2 million children living with HIV/AIDS globally, and over 90 percent of those children live in Africa and specifically sub-Saharan Africa,” said Denis Tindyebwa, MD. “Those children really are not getting the treatment that they should be getting. Only about 20 percent of the children are getting the lifesaving antiretroviral drugs.”

Dr. Tindyebwa added that drugs to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV are available but do not reach pregnant women living with the virus.

In addition, he said that effective drugs for positive children “are not readily available to Africa. But even if they were, [the patients] would not have the clean water to mix the suspensions. We do not have refrigerators to keep the solutions [cool].”