|
|
Uganda: Test Kids for HIV - Medic
 |
 |
|||||||||
|
||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||
|
||||||||||
New Vision (Kampala)
18 May 2008
Posted to the web 19 May 2008
Joseph Kariuki
Kampala
THE Joint Clinical Research Centre has urged parents to test their children for HIV, saying it is important for to safeguard their lives.
Dr. Victor Musiime, the head of pediatrics, said out of 50,000 children eligible to take AIDS drugs, only 12,000 access the treatment.
"In Uganda, 25,000 babies are infected with HIV each year. Without treatment, 66% of them will die before they are three years and 75% will die before they turn five," Musiime said on Saturday.
This was during an HIV- test campaign in Kisenyi, a Kampala slum, where over 200 children were tested.
Musiime urged parents to be in the forefront in the fight against HIV by making sure that they know the sero status of their children.
"There is a gap in our HIV drives, with most health units emphasising care for adults while children are not tested yet they are the most vulnerable.
"The progression of the disease in children is high. The earlier we identify the virus, the better, because we can prevent further complications and loss of lives."
According to last year's demographic index, over 100,000 children are infected with HIV in the country.
"Our main target are children born to parents living with HIV because they need treatment and care," Musiime said.
The doctor urged anti-AIDS organisations to go out to the people rather than waiting for them to go to their centres for HIV tests.
Anti-body testing, an HIV test administered to children, is available for children above 18 months in all HIV sites throughout the country.
The free HIV test campaign, which targeted children born to parents living with HIV and those orphaned by the disease, were conducted in Kawempe, Makindye, Nakawa, Rubaga and Central divisions.
|
At least 1,500 children were tested during the exercise.
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Copyright © 2008 New Vision. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections -- or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Make allAfrica.com your home page | RSS Feed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Top | Site Guide | Who We Are | Advertising | Search | Subscribe | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Questions or Comments? Contact us. Read our Privacy Statement. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
