HIV orphans need extra attention – body

A local association, Amahoro, has called for special HIV preventive measures for orphans who lost their parents due to HIV/Aids. Irene Ingabire, the group’s chairperson, made the call during an interview with The Sunday Times, at the end of a two-day workshop for 200 children affected by HIV/Aids at Centre Scolaire de Bumbogo, in Gasabo District. “Soe of these children are orphans whose both parents died from HIV/Aids, while others have single parents who live with the virus,” Ingabire said in the interview. “They are part of a young generation with great opportunities ahead but surrounded with all these misfortunes that, if they don’t get people to guide them, they may end up trapped by these circumstances.” The participating children, aged between 6 and 25 years, were tipped on issues surrounding HIV/Aids from the time of infection, prevention and treatment in the workshop which ended Friday. Ingabire said that the trainees also learned about reproductive health and other related topics which, she said, all lead to behavioural change – a big tool to fight the scourge. She explained that at least 2000 children have benefited from the association programmes since 2006 which operates in Kagugu, Kacyiru and Bumbogo sectors, all in Gasabo District. At least 600 are now in primary school, 195 in secondary school while over 100 have completed the vocational training. Recently, Dr Placidie Mugwaneza, the head of HIV Prevention in Trac-Plus, told the media that about 23,000 children are born to HIV positive mothers each year, while more than 7000 children are in need of ARV therapy.She also said that Mother-to-child HIV transmission in the country reduced by 8.3 percent in the last five years, from 11 percent in 2004 to 2.7 percent by the end of last year. According to Dr Anita Asiimwe, the Executive Secretary of the National Aids Control Commission (CNLS), 72 percent of HIV infected children are currently accessing antiretroviral therapy (ART), up from 10 percent in 2005. Ends