Labuan Bajo (ANTARA) – Dian Purnama Sari, SpA, a pediatrician at Komodo Hospital in West Manggarai Regency, East Nusa Tenggara, has asked HIV-positive children of HIV/AIDS parents to undergo antiretroviral (ARV) drug therapy.
“HIV-positive children will receive antiretroviral drug therapy, while children born to HIV-positive mothers whose children are not necessarily HIV-positive will receive preventive medicine,” he said in Labuan Bajo on Friday (2/12).
He explained that newborns are prone to contracting HIV/AIDS from mothers infected with HIV/AIDS. Therefore, the child must be tested first.
She called on HIV-positive parents to be proactive in testing their newborns.
If the results are negative, your child will receive preventative therapy in the form of oral medications. However, if positive, ARV drug therapy is administered according to the clinical situation.
Dian said the model of care for HIV-positive children would be different than for other children.
HIV-positive children are constantly on medications and have more frequent illnesses than other children.
“He needs more intensive counseling and adequate nutrition,” she said.
Data from the West Manggarai health office recorded that 30 people were positively infected with HIV during January-November 2022. This number was the highest in the past four years.
He urged people to check their health regularly and avoid behaviors that risk contracting HIV, such as risky sex, the use of illegal drugs and the use of used syringes.
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He also suggested that pregnant PLWHAs always have regular checkups, take regular medications, and maintain health.
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“Until now, there is no definitive HIV drug that can eliminate the virus from the patient’s body. The drugs are taken to suppress the replication of the virus in the body so that the number does not increase,” he said.
