The authors emphasize the present importance of AIDS in children and explain the causes of the rising trend of this syndrome in the child population. They summarize the most important epidemiological characteristics of AIDS in children, its pathogenetic differences and the ensuing clinical symptoms. Attention is drawn to the pitfalls of microbiological diagnosis of child infections caused by HIV, and the authors discuss principles, possibilities and perspectives of causal treatment of this syndrome in children. Finally they summarize contemporary experience and knowledge regarding immunization of children infected with the human immunodeficiency virus.