5 October 2008
Nairobi — Last week, the first clinical centre of excellence to provide a comprehensive package of paediatric HIV care and treatment services in East Africa was opened in Uganda.
The Ush1.1 billion ($680,000) centre will provide screening of infants for eligibility for antiretroviral drugs (ARVs), HIV counselling and testing for children aged 0 to 18 years; all children enrolled at the centre will be screened every month for infections like TB, pneumonia, malaria, cancers and skin infections.
The clinic is a timely initiative, given that there is still inadequate access to paediatric HIV care and treatment services in Uganda.
Currently there are 100,000 people on ARVs in Uganda but only 10,000 are children. About 140,000 children (0-5 years) are living with HIV/Aids.
Of these 50,000 are in need of ART but only about 13,000 or 26 per cent are in therapy. The clinic gives hope to all these children.
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