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Thandeka Moyo Ndlovu, Senior Health Reporter

ZIMBABWE continues to lead HIV management in Africa and may consider using the newly developed sweet-tasting drugs to treat HIV in children.

HIV transmission rate in children stands at seven percent in Zimbabwe against a global target of five percent.

About 91 000 children are believed to be living with HIV in the country.

In a statement, South African Health Products Regulatory Authority chief executive officer Dr Semete-Makokotlela confirmed that the company had registered a new “sweet-tasting” combination antiretroviral treatment for infants and young children with HIV. 

This treatment comes in granules that can be sprinkled on soft food or dissolved in milk or water. Furthermore, this treatment does not require refrigeration which may help high burden countries in Africa address HIV in children.

“The ‘4-in-1’ formulation approved by SAHPRA with the trade name Quadrimune has been developed by the non-profit entity, Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi), and Cipla. Unlike the traditional protease inhibitor-containing paediatric ARV formulations, this new treatment combines the antiretrovirals Abacavir, Lamivudine, Lopinavir and Ritonavir in a novel manner of administering it to children and infants,” said Dr Semete-Makokotlela. 

“These new treatment regimens for infants and children with HIV heralds a huge breakthrough. The formulations are also recommended by the World Health Organisation (WHO). SAHPRA is committed to enabling access to innovative health products that work well and that adhere to the tenets of safety, quality and efficacy.”

In response to this the National Aids Council national monitoring and evaluation director Mr Amon Mpofu said Zimbabwe continues to do well in HIV management.

He said Zimbabwe is leading in HIV response and may consider the new medication once it has been tried and tested.

“We are happy with the strides we have taken as a country to address HIV and currently we are only a few steps from achieving global targets of having at least five percent transmission rate among children. As we continue in the fight, we may approve new administration models as offered by the new drug recently approved in South Africa only once it meets set standards,” he said.

 

“We also will have to go through verification processes to ensure it is safe and effective. Since we are geared up for the international Aids Conference in Canada, I’m sure we will be able to know more about this as we remain committed to ending Aids,” he added.

According to the stacked bar analysis from the UNAids spectrum model, the majority of new HIV infections among children are happening through transmission from women who are not on treatment in Zimbabwe.

Vice-President and Health and Child Care Minister Dr Constantino Chiwenga recently said adolescent girls and young women are a high-risk group for acquiring new HIV infections in general, especially during pregnancy and lactation.

According to data from District Health Information 2 (DHIS 2), adolescent girls and young women aged 10-24, including women less than 30 years, account for 62 percent of new HIV infections among children.

“I am pleased to report that appropriate action is being taken to address the needs of this vulnerable population, including scaling up the provision of pre-exposure prophylaxis to pregnant and breastfeeding adolescent girls and young women,” said VP Chiwenga.

“This will greatly reduce their risk of acquiring new HIV infection and ultimately prevent HIV transmission to their babies. Let me reiterate that our children should be born HIV free and remain HIV free during the breastfeeding period and beyond.”

VP Chiwenga said Zimbabwe is committed to ending Aids in children by 2030. 

“We must all pull together to make this a reality as we work towards universal health coverage and attaining our health-related sustainable development goals,” he said. -@thamamoe