Time to stop mother-to-child HIV infection
HIV Testing. Little focus is put on the mental state of children who are, sadly, termed as victims of the Aids menace.
Every year, 1.3 million women and girls around the world who live with HIV become pregnant. And even though various initiatives have been taken into consideration, such as the Triple Elimination Initiative and educational forums meant to facilitate and encourage the upcoming mothers into taking the proper measures, many have still fallen victim to the mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) calamity.
Much has been done in a bid to end the Aids epidemic, particularly to the women living with the HIV virus. For instance, the increased access to antiretroviral therapy (ART) has gone a long way to MTCT prevention efforts with proper guidance and implementation.
But little focus is put on the mental state of children who are, sadly, termed as victims of the Aids menace.
Just think about this: What goes through the mind of a child born with HIV? Your first reaction would be to say it is not their fault, right? But that won’t change their HIV status.
With most of them having been informed of their status while a bit older, there is a sudden flip in their world, the most affected being their state of mind.
It may play out in mimicry of the stages of grief—whereby the denial commences, followed by anger, the blame game and depression—constituting the long road to acceptance.
The levels of denial vary, whereby they may not want to start treatment or opt to take many other tests to prove the doctor wrong. When this does not work, the individual will begin to direct anger at their parents or guardians, as if looking for someone to blame.
They would want to give up—and some actually do—and all their dreams may be thrown into a dark bottomless pit. Those unfortunate enough to lack the right support could fall into this abyss too with little hope of rejuvenation.
To some, especially the youth, death would be viewed as their best option since, one would wonder, what is the point of living?On today’s World Aids Day, therefore, spare a thought for those who got Aids through MTCT.
Inasmuch as we encourage one another that life does not end when one is HIV positive, acceptance is made easier with someone to hold your hand.
- Collene Atieno, Nakuru
