The Reality Of Children Living With HIV And AIDS

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota

The sad reality is that HIV and AIDS are indifferent to the ages of victims. Many children around the world are born with HIV and unless they are afforded the proper health care their chances of living through the first few years of their lives are slim to none. HIV and AIDS has the same effect on babies as it does on adults and it is very sad to see young children having to suffer the symptoms of this disease.

In cases where children have become infected with HIV, it has usually been transmitted from the mother to the child. Mother to child transmissions can be reduced when certain precautions are followed.

How to reduce mother to child transmission

Mother to child infection can be prevented when taking AZT (zidovudine, Retrovir), this is only effective however if you are in good health and have a good CD4 count. This drug is usually administered the final 3 months of pregnancy. However, if HIV has severely compromised your immune system it is suggested that you start HIV treatment as early as possible during pregnancy. Infection can also be reduced by having a caesarean birth, especially in cases where the viral load is high. Moreover, do not breast feed babies once the child is born as breast feeding increases the risk of transmission from mother to child.

Orphaned HIV infected babies

Much can be done to prevent the HIV transmission from mother to child, yet still each year there are thousands of babies who are born with HIV, and many of these babies end up in orphanages. With both parents infected with the virus, it is usually only a matter of time before children end up in a home.

One might question why the family of the child's parents do not step in to take care of the child, when their family member dies, but many times it is not that simple. HIV and AIDS although is a pandemic which affects citizens from all countries is still more prevent in poverty stricken Sub- Saharan Africa. In many instances the families are too poor to look after another child let alone a child which needs proper health care.

Another reason why many HIV infected children end up in orphanages is because in rural areas there is still a lot of stigma attached to HIV and so in many cases not even the families are willing to take care of the child.

Helping hands

The need for health care for HIV infected babies is great with government institutions not being able to help all the children which need care. Thankfully there are still people who take it upon themselves to care for abandoned HIV infected children within their community, people who play a very important role in society. These people however need help, so if you are by the means to donate or volunteer of your time, locate caregivers within your area to find out how you can make the difference.

For more information about HIV visit the website http://www.alllife.co.za/