| Expert meeting on HIV infection in children |
SAHARA, in collaboration with various United Nations agencies (UNICEF, UNAIDS and WHO), held an expert meeting on 18 - 19 March 2008 to discuss the possible mechanisms of HIV infection in children, and the related policy and programmatic implications.
BackgroundIn sub-Saharan Africa we are faced with a continuing increase in the number of children newly infected with HIV, and few relevant studies. Most studies of HIV infection in children have concentrated on mother-to-child-transmission (MTCT). But it has recently been observed that there are children who have avoided MTCT yet became positive before their sexual debut.Measuring HIV infection among children has only recently been integrated into national HIV surveys in Southern Africa. The 2002 Nelson Mandela/HSRC survey was the first study that presented data that suggested that HIV prevalence among South African children was high - 6.2% in children aged 2-9 years. The findings of a 2005 national HIV household survey conducted by the HSRC confirmed these high levels, with HIV prevalence of 4.9% among boys and 5.3% among girls aged 2-4 years, and 4.2% among boys and 4.8% among girls aged 5-9 years. This compares with similar findings in Botswana and Zimbabwe. In Botswana in 2004, HIV prevalence among boys and girls aged 18 months to 4 years was 6% and 6.8%, respectively. The figures for boys and girls aged 5-9 years were 5.9% and 6.2%, respectively. In a district survey in Zimbabwe, the HIV prevalence among children aged 6 - 8 years was 5.8%. Alarmingly, these levels are higher than would be expected based on assumed MTCT rates and child survival curves among HIV infected newborns in these settings. The incidence data suggest that a substantial number of new infections have occurred among children in South Africa, thus confirming the HIV prevalence findings. These new infections are most likely not linked to mother-to-child transmission. This suggests that the infections were due to other modes of transmission, potentially including child sexual abuse, scarification practices, and health care services – a research topic that needs urgent attention. PublicationsSummary report of the meeting, 18 - 19 March 2008 (276kb, pdf) Policy brief: HIV Infection in children aged 5-14 years (224kb, pdf) Presentations Objectives & expected outcomes of the meeting - Vincent Agu, SAHARA (170kb, pdf) Current State of HIV Infection in Children:
Collaborative mechanisms for effective research on HIV in children - Susan Kasedde (UNAIDS) (70kb, pdf) Policy and programmatic implications, beyond the research agenda - David Alnwyk (UNICEF) (40kb, pdf) |
