Parent's Fears Slowing Uptake of Pediatric AIDS Treatment

Thousands of African parents shield their HIV-positive children from the reason for their medical care or even avoid HIV-related services altogether, health officials say.

"The uptake of pediatric [antiretroviral] treatment is still very low as compared to adults and mostly this is because some parents are not very keen on bringing their children for testing," said Dr. Mutinta Nalubamba, pediatric ARV therapy coordinator in Zambia's health ministry.

The secrecy is an attempt to avoid the stigma associated with an HIV diagnosis. Such dissembling, however, has long-term negative consequences for the children, health care workers say.

"We are asking all families with HIV-positive children to be more open about the problem, because hiding the truth puts a child's life at greater risk," said Nalubamba.

Because 90 percent of pediatric HIV cases are acquired through maternal transmission, health care workers seek to boost low rates of testing among newborns born to HIV-positive women. In 2009, HIV prevalence among Zambian mothers indicated a need for testing of 70,000 newborns. Fewer than half that, 30,000, were tested.

Of some 40,000 children born HIV-positive in Zambia each year, about 21,000 receive ARV therapy. More than half of Zambian children born HIV-positive die before their second birthday because of inadequate or no care, Nalubamba said.

In order to keep her HIV-positive six-year-old son from asking about his disease, one mother in the Zambian capital city of Lusaka said she does not allow her son to watch television unsupervised or even attend public gatherings at which HIV may be discussed. "We always change TV channels whenever we see an HIV advert or just any program on HIV/AIDS," the woman said.

The Friends of AIDS Foundation is dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.


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