Ultimate Media
The government of Uganda has been called upon to put more efforts in creating awareness and educating the public about the availability of Anti Retroviral Therapy for children who are living with HIV/AIDS.
Health experts interviewed by the UN news agency say that the access of life prolonging ARVs has not been adequately promoted as has been ARV treatment for adults.
Zainabu Akol, the head of HIV programming in the Ministry of Health says fewer than a quarter of the 125,000 Ugandan children who need life-prolonging anti-retroviral treatment have access to it, mainly because of stigma and inadequate education of parents.
AAkol says as a result, a large supply of paediatric antiretroviral medication donated by the Clinton Foundation could expire in Ugandan medical stores because of low demand, since the medicines are due to expire in March 2010.
Goretti Nakabugo, from a local NGO, Strengthening HIV/AIDS Counsellor Training says there is widespread stigma that makes many parents fail to take their children for Anti Retroviral Therapy.
She says many parents believe when their children begin ART, the children will be shunned by the community and at school, while some parents cannot stand telling their children that they (children) have a life threatening illness.
Other hindrances according to Akol include failure by the guardians of HIV-positive orphans who are often too poor to properly care for the orphans and ensure that they received treatment, for example transport to pick the regular ARV does.
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