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04/04/2007 09:51:12

Millions of Children Living With HIV/AIDS in Developing Countries Need Immediate Access to Treatment

Changes are needed in the diagnosis and treatment of millions of HIV-infected children, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.

There is a "critical and urgent need for provision of antiretroviral therapy to HIV-infected children globally," said the new policy statement, which was endorsed by 19 international groups including the World Health Organization.

At the end of 2005, at least 2.3 million children were living with HIV infection acquired at birth, most of them in sub-Saharan Africa, the pediatricians group said.

Antiretroviral therapy has helped to turn HIV/AIDS into a chronic disease in North America. But in parts of Africa, AIDS kills about half of children infected with HIV before age two, said Dr. Peter Havens, chair of the academy's AIDS committee.

Access to HIV medicine and treatment is also limited in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, where 1.7 million people were living with AIDS in 2006, according to a report by WHO and the United Nations.

Liquid HIV medications may require refrigeration, which may be a barrier in rural areas, Havens said.

"The time and energy spent trying to develop liquid antiretroviral formulations might be better used in the manufacture of smaller pill sizes or crushable tablets, which are easier to dispense, transport, store and administer to children," the statement said.


Other issues include:

- Increasing availability of testing to identify infants infected with HIV.

- Fast-tracking the development of three-in-one HIV drugs that are approved for use in children.

- Boosting access to training for health-care professionals who treat children infected with HIV.

The Indian Academy of Pediatrics, the Latin American Pediatric Association and Britain's Royal College of Pediatrics and Child Health also endorsed the policy statement.



Source: CBC News- Canada




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