BellaOnline Forums Health and Fitness AIDS & HIV Hey, Babies

Federal health guidelines on pediatric HIV delivered a big change this past January; They now recommend that all HIV-positive infants begin HIV meds as soon as they are diagnosed, regardless of their CD4 count. The huidlines authors cite a large South Aferican study showing that infants have better survival rates if they are on meds, and that HIV often progresses faster in children under 5 than older children and adults. The authors include advice on ensuring that babies swallow every dose-quite a task, as any mom or dad can tell you. To help with adherence, the guidelines suggest home visits by health care providers and "choosing the most palatable medicine possible-pharmacists may be able to add syrups or flavoring agents to increase palatability."(Find the guidelines at aidsinfo.nih.gov or from AIDSINFO, P.O.box 6303, Rockville, MD 20849

This is interesting. I think most people are hesitant to give medications to babies so that's probably why it's taken so long for "them" to come to this conclusion. Thanks for the info.