Original Research Article
Year: 2019 | Month: July-September | Volume: 4 | Issue: 3 | Pages: 229-237
Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infected Children and Attendant Social Issues Seen At a Nigerian Paediatric Anti-Retroviral Clinic
Oyedeji OA, Oyedeji GA
Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Ladoke Akintola Univeristy of Technology Teaching Hospital, Osogbo, Nigeria
Corresponding Author: Oyedeji OA
ABSTRACT
Background: HIV infected individuals have other challenging social issues apart from stigmatization. There is a need to fill the gap in knowledge on other attendant social issues associated with paediatric HIV disease and how they impact on care.
Aim: To document the social issues identified among children attending the paediatric anti-retroviral clinic of Nigerian tertiary hospital, with a view to discovering how this affects the care of the patients.
Methodology: Consecutive consenting HIV infected children and their care givers attending Ladoke Akitola University of Technology Teaching Hospital, Osogbo, South West Nigeria, were studied. Information on their socio-demographic details and perceived social challenges and how they affect care was obtained. Data obtained was analysed using SPSS version 16.
Results: Of the 55 children studied 43(78.2%) had social issues. Some children had more than 1 social issue. The ages of the children studied ranged from 3 months to 13years, with a mean of 5.7 ± 3.2 and the 55 consisted of 28 boys and 27 girls giving a male to female ratio of 1.0: 1.0. The range and mean of the ages of the fathers was 20 – 71years and 43.2 ± 10.3years respectively, while it was 20 – 54 years and 34.7 ± 5.8 years respectively for the mothers. The social issues identified were non-disclosure of HIV status to the HIV infected children, fear of stigmatization of children and accompanying caregiver or parents, sero-discordant HIV status of the parents, death of one or both parents (single or double Orphans), single parent, divorced or separated parents, parental polygamy. Other social issues are low socioeconomic status, poor parental education, neglect of the HIV infected child and residence in remote rural settings. All of the social issues listed impacted negatively in one way or the other on the care of the HIV infected children.
Conclusion: Social issues are common among HIV infected children. Effective strategies to mitigate against the effect of these social issues need to be identified and instituted in order to improve on care.
Keywords: Paediatrics, HIV, care, community