Shiloh
Editor, Senior Moderator
Source: http://www.nation.co.ke/News/Why+so...er+with+the+virus+/-/1056/1372442/-/trlp4a/-/
Why some children are living longer with the virus
By ARTHUR OKWEMBA
Posted Friday, March 23 2012 at 20:31
A couple of years ago doctors said a child born with HIV had no chance of surviving past the fifth birthday.
This was even more likely if the child was not on any anti-HIV treatment.
Those who beat the odds without treatment were considered miracle cases.
In 2009, Unicef estimated that 180,000 children aged between 0 and 14 years were living with HIV.
Most of them are still alive, with some having managed the virus without treatment.
With these children living beyond 10 years and entering adolescence without being on antiretroviral drugs, scientists have started to investigate the reasons behind their survival.
Recent studies and doctors? accounts link this to two key factors; the immune system of the child or the type of the virus contracted.
These two factors explain why one child will progress to Aids very fast and the other slowly, taking more than 10 years to get Aids...
Why some children are living longer with the virus
By ARTHUR OKWEMBA
Posted Friday, March 23 2012 at 20:31
A couple of years ago doctors said a child born with HIV had no chance of surviving past the fifth birthday.
This was even more likely if the child was not on any anti-HIV treatment.
Those who beat the odds without treatment were considered miracle cases.
In 2009, Unicef estimated that 180,000 children aged between 0 and 14 years were living with HIV.
Most of them are still alive, with some having managed the virus without treatment.
With these children living beyond 10 years and entering adolescence without being on antiretroviral drugs, scientists have started to investigate the reasons behind their survival.
Recent studies and doctors? accounts link this to two key factors; the immune system of the child or the type of the virus contracted.
These two factors explain why one child will progress to Aids very fast and the other slowly, taking more than 10 years to get Aids...