A guide to what you need to know about your child with HIV

It is no coincidence that people consider HIV / AIDS as a dangerous disease - the disease of the century. There are babies who have just been born with this seemingly "no cure" disease. Do HIV-infected children have any hope?

Children infected with HIV often have to grow up with a panic, alienated outlook and many obstacles in life.

In response to World AIDS Day, aFamilyToday Health gives readers the best overview of HIV disease in children, as well as treatment directions and prevention methods. This helps us to be more aware of the issue of HIV / AIDS prevention in children.

Need to distinguish children infected with HIV and what is AIDS?

There are many people who confuse HIV and AIDS, but in essence it is completely different. When the HIV virus enters the body, this is called HIV infection. At this time, the virus attacks CD4 cells - a type of immune cells in the body. CD4 cells are used by the virus to multiply, thereby causing the immune cells to decline. This process may take several years and during this time the child will not show any symptoms.

After all, when the amount of CD4 cells destroyed is sufficient, the body loses the ability to defend itself, making children more susceptible to opportunistic diseases. Even a common cold is fatal enough for people with HIV. When people infected with HIV have progressed to this final stage, it is called AIDS .

What is the cause of HIV infection?

Here are some of the main ways HIV can be passed to children including:

1. From mother to child

This is considered the main reason for the majority of HIV infections in children. If a mother becomes infected with HIV while she is pregnant, there is a very high risk that her baby will be born with this virus. The virus is normally transmitted to the placenta, in some cases after the birth, when the concentration of the virus in the mother's blood is high, the pathogen is also at risk of being transmitted to the baby through breast milk.

During the period of birth, the baby comes into contact with vaginal fluids when passing through the mother's genital tract or due to the exchange between maternal blood and fetal blood during labor. According to statistics, about 50-60% of children are infected with HIV during this period.

In the case of twins, triplets ... from HIV-infected mothers, it shows that babies born first are often at higher risk of HIV infection than babies born after (because babies born first are exposed to vaginal fluids containing HIV than).

2. Through blood transfusion

If a child has surgery and needs a blood transfusion, he or she is at risk for a blood transfusion with HIV. Although most hospitals strictly follow the procedures for taking blood and transfusion, negligence in checking blood donors can also lead to infection.

3. Medication route

Children with more exposure to injectable drugs are at higher risk of acquiring HIV. Mistakes such as sharing needles will cause a child to become infected with HIV, although this is a rare case.

Symptoms of HIV in children

HIV-infected pediatric patients often exhibit mixed symptoms, depending on age group. Therefore, for easy grasping, aFamilyToday Health has divided into two subjects: infants and children below:

1. For babies

With HIV infection, each newborn may exhibit different symptoms or all of the following:

Swollen lymph nodes

Abnormally sized abdomen due to swelling of internal organs

White patches on the cheeks and tongue (which are signs of a fungal infection)

Children have random episodes of diarrhea

Lung diseases such as pneumonia, bronchitis, tuberculosis, prolonged flu ...

2. For young children

Symptoms are similar to those of infants, but with other symptoms such as:

Development of diseases in internal organs such as liver and kidney

Infection (intermittent) in the ears and nose

Fever that persists for more than four weeks

Skin diseases : folliculitis , itchy papules, eczema ...

Children lose weight, grow slowly (slowly reach basic developmental milestones), malnutrition ...

Methods to diagnose HIV infected children

Because HIV can be passed from mother to child, HIV tests for all pregnant women are essential. In some countries, this test is compulsory but in some countries pregnant women have the option to choose. Pregnant women who test positive for HIV will be monitored more closely.

1. With newborn babies

The standard tests are done on inactive adults on infants. This is because passive HIV antibodies may have passed through the mother's bloodstream.

Therefore, this subject needs to perform PCR test to detect HIV nucleic acid (RNA / DNA) to confirm HIV infection in infants and children under 18 months of age. The implementation time falls at 4-6 weeks of age.

2. Older children

Older children can be tested with test methods in adults. Specifically, an ELISA test to check for the presence of HIV antibodies.

A Western Blot test will be followed up to confirm results and avoid false positives. The rapid HIV tests performed for mass HIV detection programs are also very reliable. However, the results obtained should also be followed up with the Western Blot assay.

Directions for HIV treatment for children

Treatment focuses on stopping the spread of the virus by using antiviral drugs or ART. This drug suppresses the replication of HIV, while keeping the CD4 cell count in the body at a stable level.

Although the drugs do not completely eliminate the virus, they significantly slow the progression of the disease. ART drugs often use a combination of more than two types to prevent resistance from developing. Depending on each individual's situation, doctors will devise a treatment plan and separate medication indications.

What will happen when children grow up with the "disease of the century"?

Ordinary young children are very vulnerable and children growing up with HIV / AIDS are really not that easy.

Risk of opportunistic diseases: Children need to be protected and live in a safe environment to avoid the risk of contracting potential diseases. Furthermore, children under 4 years of age are often at high risk of dying from the complex complications of HIV / AIDS.

Learning problems: One study found that most HIV-infected children still live long enough to go to school and that most of them do not have difficulty attending regular classes.

Emotional stress: There are many cases when parents do not want to talk to their children about their condition. However, after a certain age, children will find themselves with health problems. Many children often show anxiety or depression,  and teenagers react more strongly, such as expressing anger.

The delicate issues surrounding young life with HIV

You need to realize one thing that, actions such as talking, sitting next to, eating together or expressing emotions such as hugging, holding hands ... do not spread HIV to others. However, there are a few rules you should establish to keep your kids and those around you safe:

Do not let your child share the brush with family members or classmates

Teach your child how to treat the wound if they are injured and handle the wound properly

Educate children about risks and safety measures during sexual intercourse (for children who have entered puberty) ...

HIV prevention for children like?

Most HIV-infected children are transmitted from the mother. Therefore, preventive methods will be focused entirely on this issue:

Avoid breastfeeding and breastfeeding because the virus can be transmitted through breast milk

HIV-infected pregnant women should be started on ART immediately as it reduces the risk of transmission by less than 2%.

Some births are performed by caesarean section to stop transmission of the virus.

The fact is that the problem of children with HIV cannot be completely avoided. However, through efforts to raise awareness of the community about the prevention of this disease, the rate of children infected today has been significantly reduced.