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KZN health battling to treat AIDS patients
IOL
2005-07-04

Fewer than 1 000 children infected with HIV and AIDS in KwaZulu-Natal are currently receiving antiretroviral (ARV) treatment, the Natal Witness website reported on Friday.

It said the figures were revealed at the Medical Research Council (MRC) KZN AIDS Forum in Pietermaritzburg this week. About 11 000 adults were on treatment. Of these, at least 70 percent are women. The provincial health department's ARV programme manager, Rojer Phili, said 2 126 children had been screened. 'To get a child on therapy, they must have a guardian or parent who is always present' Of these, 901 children were found to be eligible for treatment, with 780 of them currently on treatment. He told The Witness staff were in some cases reluctant to treat children, as they feel they were not equipped to do so.

To overcome this, a referral system would give staff access to paediatricians. Health care workers in the ARV programme were also being trained to treat children. Phili said a mentorship programme was also underway, focusing on children's issues related to the roll-out. Other obstacles include the fact that in many cases, children did not have birth certificates, essential for them to qualify for treatment. There were also social problems leading to the slow uptake in therapy with regard to children. To get a child on therapy, they must have a guardian or parent who is always present, said Phili. If this is not the case, then there is a good chance that adherence to the treatment regimen will be compromised. When the children default, they can develop a resistance to the drugs.

(Source: IOL, July 1, 2005)

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