Antiretroviral Therapy for Children
Substantial Benefit But Limited Access
- Joseph I. Harwell, MD;
- Stephen K. Obaro, MD, FRCPCH, PhD
- Author Affiliations: Division of Infectious Diseases, Departments Medicine and Pediatrics, Brown Medical School, Rhode Island and Miriam Hospitals, Providence (Dr Harwell) and Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pa (Dr Obaro).
- Corresponding Author: Joseph I. Harwell, MD, Division of Infectious Diseases, Brown Medical School, Miriam Hospital, 164 Summit Ave, RISE 154, Providence, RI 02906 (jharwell{at}lifespan.org).
Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text.
- KEYWORDS:
- AIDS-RELATED OPPORTUNISTIC INFECTIONS
- ANTIRETROVIRAL THERAPY, HIGHLY ACTIVE
- CHILD
- COSTS AND COST ANALYSIS
- HEALTH SERVICES ACCESSIBILITY
- HIV INFECTIONS
- WORLD HEALTH
According to the United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) global report on human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), in 2005 more than 2.3 million children were living with HIV infection, and 380 000 children with HIV had died.1 Most of the children who die from HIV have severe manifestations of common childhood illnesses, such as diarrhea, malnutrition, acute respiratory tract infection, and tuberculosis.2-4 These children often die before the diagnosis of HIV infection can be made, and mortality is often attributed to a background high rate of early childhood mortality.
The United States is home for a diminishing proportion of HIV-infected children, with an estimated 11 000 cases in 2005.1 There are 2 reasons for this decreasing population of HIV-infected children in the developed world. First, pregnant women are increasingly being offered HIV testing, and HIV-infected women are receiving antiretroviral medications sufficient to reduce transmission to a rate of …
