MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 07th July, 2020) The World Health Organization (WHO) is missing the target regarding treating HIV-positive children, as only half of them receive needed medication, Martina Penazzato, the paediatric HIV lead for the HIV, Hepatitis and STI Department of the WHO Headquarters in Geneva, said on Tuesday.
"We are missing the target that we set ourselves for this time. We know that, overall, we can expect 1.8 million children that are currently living with HIV below the age of 14, and we know that last year, only 950,000 were on antiretroviral meaning that only half of the children in need are currently receiving life-saving antiretrovirals," Penazzato said at an online press conference.
At the same time, the expert added that there were reasons to be more optimistic regarding 2021. In particular, the US food and Drug Administration's recent decision to approve a dispersible 5 milligrams formulation of dolutegravir (DTG) for use in infants and children with HIV allowed the WHO to fully implement its current guidelines that recommend the drug as the preferred first-line regimen for all.
The WHO has warned that the looming stockouts of vital medicines used to treat HIV infection are threatening lives in 73 countries. The UN health agency said on Monday that a worldwide shutdown of transport services imposed to curb he spread of the new coronavirus and limited access to health care services were the main reasons behind stalling deliveries of anti-HIV drugs.
