title: Paediatric HIV infection in Western Africa: the long way to the standard of care.
abstract: In sub-Saharan Africa, newborns and children continue to suffer from insufficient access to early diagnosis and antiretroviral (ARV) treatments. A survey had been conducted in Burkina Faso, Ghana and Ivory Coast, from January 2010 to February 2011 to identify the major challenges regarding HIV prophylaxis and treatment of children in western Africa. The results of this survey highlight that only a small proportion of HIV-exposed newborns receive ARV prophylaxis. However, this problem is often not perceived at the national level. The problem could be faced by improving the communication process between the peripheral health services and the national procurement system. Moreover, supporting the development of local pharmaceutical industries could facilitate the availability of child-sized drugs, contextualized to the socio-cultural needs of such area, adequate not only in terms of efficacy, safety and tolerability, but also in terms of palatability, storage, distribution and cost.
authors.affiliation: University Department of Pediatrics (DPUO), 'Bambino Gesù' Children's Hospital, Rome, Italy. hyppolite.tchidjouku@opbg.net
authors.forename: Hyppolite K
authors.initials: HK
authors.lastname: Tchidjou
authors.forename: Alessandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Maria Martino
authors.forename: Louis-Philippe K
authors.initials: LP
authors.lastname: Goli
authors.forename: Maïmouna
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Diop Ly
authors.forename: Leo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zekeng
authors.forename: Mamadou
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Samba
authors.forename: Stefano
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Maiolo
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Palma
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pontrelli
authors.forename: Giorgio
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Mancino
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Rossi
authors.forename: Vittorio
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Colizzi
mesh_terms: D044966:Anti-Retroviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002050:Burkina Faso / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D007560:Cote d'Ivoire / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D005869:Ghana / Q000453:epidemiology; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D018445:Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D009017:Morbidity; D056990:Post-Exposure Prophylaxis / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011247:Pregnancy; D015995:Prevalence; D059039:Standard of Care / Q000639:trends*
chemical_list: D044966:Anti-Retroviral Agents