Concerns Exist Over Lack of Pediatric ARVs

Concerns that children born with HIV and are denied access to proper pediatric Anti-retroviral (ARVs) drugs has been voiced by those involved in the provision of the life saving drugs to children.

Dr Edwin Libamba, head of HIV and AIDS department in the Ministry of Health blamed it on what he said was "lack of user friendly pediatrics formulation when it comes to ARVS."


"The other problem is that we have to wait until 18 months before we can diagnose HIV in pediatrics using the antibodies test that we have," he however added that the current treatment used for children needing ARVs was having positive results. " I would like to inform you that the research that we had in this country is encouraging. We can split the tablets that we use for adults and use them for children."

Since the availability of ARVs, the country has had no special anti-retroviral treatment for children due to financial constraints.

The situation had taken a turn for the better since the American Abbott Fund, Baylor College and the Government opened the country's first pediatric HIV clinic in the capital Lilongwe in December last year.

Executive Director of the Baylor-Abbott Fund Children's Clinical centre of Excellence Dr Peter Kazembe said the introduction of the clinic in the country would go a long way in addressing the suffering children.

"A lot of children were dying unnecessarily because of lack of treatment," says Dr Kazembe.

According to Dr Kazembe, the Clinic staffed with about13 doctors targets to treat 1,300 children with HIV by the end of the year.

Minister of Health Marjorie Ngaunje before the clinic was opened, had said the country had no capacity to address the complex needs of the thousands of children with HIV.

"I'm happy that we can now expand our capability to treat our youngest and most vulnerable children," Ngaunje said.

About 14 per cent of the country's population of about 12 million people has the virus. Statistics say at least 60,000 Malawians living with HIV are on the national anti-retroviral treatment programme.

It is estimated that more than 83,000 children in the country are living with HIV.