Clinical Tracking and Management of HIV-Positive Children National Pediatric HIV Training
The Clinical Features of HIV and Methods
-
Upload
rajiv-kabad -
Category
Documents
-
view
215 -
download
0
Transcript of The Clinical Features of HIV and Methods
-
7/29/2019 The Clinical Features of HIV and Methods
1/2
SYMPOSIUM ON PEDIATRIC HIV/AIDS
Editorial: The Clinical Features of HIV and Methods
to Prevent its Transmission
Guest Editor: Rashid H. Merchant
Received: 28 August 2012 /Accepted: 30 August 2012 /Published online: 4 October 2012# Dr. K C Chaudhuri Foundation 2012
Presently, approximately 2.5 million children in the world
live with HIV, and about 1,000 children succumb to AIDS
daily. The countdown to zero global initiative is ongoing,and its goal is to eliminate new HIV infection in children by
2015 and increase the survival rates of their mothers. The
2012 WHO PMTCT (Prevention of Mother to Child Trans-
mission) program recommends a single universal regime
both to treat pregnant women for HIV and to prevent trans-
mission to their infants.
This special issue of the IJP focuses on actions which may
be taken to ensure that no child is born with HIV. The articles
have been written by academicians specialized in this field
and peer reviewed. Hopefully, information provided in these
manuscripts will help in the achievement of our goals and will
enhance the care offered to the HIV infected child.HIV transmission may occur before, during, or after
delivery; however, even in the absence of intervention not
all children born to seropositive women will get infected.
The single most important risk factor determining vertical
transmission is the maternal plasma viral load. Maternal
plasma HIV load of >100,000 copies has a transmission rate
as high as 40 %, while transmission is seldom reported with
viral load
-
7/29/2019 The Clinical Features of HIV and Methods
2/2
Within the article Common Clinical Problems in
Children Living with HIV/AIDS: Systemic Approach,
Merchant and Lala have methodically divided different
manifestations into the organ systems affected. Children
have a poorly developed immunity which permits greater
dissemination of the virus throughout the body and major
differences in their clinical features when compared to
adults. In the respiratory system three important diseasesare described: Lymphoid Interstitial Pneumonitis, Pneumo-
cystis jiroveci Pneumonia and Tuberculosis. Besides caus-
ing numerous opportunistic infections, the virus itself is
responsible for HIV related encephalopathy, HIV enteropa-
thy, and HIV associated nephropathy. Recognition of these
signs and symptoms early in the disease process not only
helps in timely diagnosis but also in gauging progression
and response to treatment.
It is now estimated that only 28 % of children in need of
HIV treatment are receiving it, and that 30 % of HIV
infected infants die within their first year if untreated. A
better way, perhaps, to attack this problem is through pre-
vention of transmission itself. The elimination of pediatric
HIV infection is no longer a dream and is within reach, asvirtual prevention of MTCT is now possible. I commend the
IJP for choosing such a valuable topic for their symposium
with the intention of spreading awareness to all of its read-
ers. We now have the unprecedented opportunity of making
new pediatric infection history; however this is going to be
no easy task in our country.
1490 Indian J Pediatr (November 2012) 79(11):14891490