A global coalition was established by UNAIDS, Unicef, WHO, and other organisations to stop the transmission of new infant HIV infections and guarantee that no child living with HIV is denied access to treatment by 2030.
New strawberry-flavoured paediatric antiretrovirals (ARVs) are set to arrive in South Africa, addressing a critical barrier to the successful treatment of HIV-positive children.
The new medications, which the South Africa Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) recently registered, will significantly improve the health outcomes for children living with HIV by making it easier to take their medication.
For more than 25 years, Dr Leon Levin, senior paediatric adviser at the health NGO Right to Care, has been treating kids with HIV says children respond very well to antiretroviral therapy (ART), but we need them to take it.
“These improved paediatric formulations are going to make a major difference. They are very effective and taste great. We will be able to better control HIV in children and enable them to live normal, long, healthy lives. This is very good news for all HIV-positive children,” said Dr Levin.
A Dolutegravir dispersible tablet is one of the new ARVs for children. It's the same medicine that HIV-positive adults in South Africa have been taking since 2019, but in a special dispersible formulation for children.
As for the 'four-in-one' it contains four ARVs that have long been used in children but with a better taste. Both treatments are effective, safe, and well tolerated.
"No child should ever die or become sick from HIV again," explained Dr Julia Turner, senior technical advisor at Right to Care.
She goes on to say that children on ARVs can expect to live as long and as healthy as those who do not have HIV.
Another advantage is that if they take their medication and control their disease, they will not pass HIV on to their partners or children when they grow up. HIV is now a very manageable disease.
Doctors Turner and Levin urge all parents and caregivers to ensure that their HIV-positive child is taking the best medication and to check with their child's healthcare provider to see if their child's HIV is under control.
This is assessed by testing the HIV viral load.
In order to achieve controlled HIV, the patient's viral load must be suppressed or undetectable, explained Dr Levin.
He advises parents to contact their healthcare providers if their child's viral load is not suppressed. This could include introducing the child to one of the new formulations as soon as it becomes available.
Children with HIV, who are diagnosed and treated early, will live as long as anyone else, but they must be diagnosed and treated as soon as possible. “Testing is therefore critical,” said Dr Turner.
If you suspect your child has HIV, take him or her to the nearest healthcare facility for an HIV test. It is far better to know early and get your child onto treatment as soon as possible, cautioned Turner.
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