Children abandoning ARVs over lack of food

Some of the children living with HIV/AIDS in Mbale City have stopped taking Antiretrovirals (ARVs) due to lack of food.

A  mother who resides in Northern City Division, told Daily Monitor  at the weekend that her son is not adhering to his regimen.

“He finds it difficult to take medicines on an empty stomach and when I force him to take on an empty stomach, he becomes weak and docile the entire day,”  she said.

Another mother with a child living with HIV/AIDS from Nkoma Ward in Northern City Division, said the government should support parents and guardians whenever they cannot afford food for such patients.

“The health condition of our children is deteriorating because we don’t have enough food to feed them and yet they need nutritional meals,”  she said.

Uganda Women’s Effort to Save Orphans (Uweso) under its project, the integrated child and youth development activity (ICYD) published a report last year.

The report revealed that 49 percent of children living with HIV/ Aids in Mbale presented nutritional deficiency as the major cause of their non- adherence to Antiretroviral Therapy (ART).

The ICYD project, funded by USAID, aims at ensuring that children and youth, especially the most vulnerable, receive the support and services necessary to lead resilient, healthy, and productive lives.

Mr Ali Mududu, a resident of Namanyonyi Sub- County in Mbale City and a village health worker, said the viral load of the affected children has gone up because they stopped taking drugs.
“We request the government to support the children living with HIV/AIDS with food to enable them to live longer,” Mr Mududu said.

The parents made the remarks at the weekend at a function where UWESO officials handed over food items for children living with HIV/AIDS and other vulnerable children in Mbale City.

Mr Dominic Baru, the National executive council treasurer, UWESO, said: “Through a collaboration with Haba Na Haba Food Bank, we received 2,400 food packages to reach out to orphans and vulnerable children with food, including milk, salt, Rice, maize flour, beans and other foods.”
This is not a new issue in Mbale and neighbouring areas.

For instance, health officials said that in 2019, at least 1,400 people living with HIV/Aids in Mbale District abandoned ART.

The Mbale district health officer, Dr Jonathan Wangisi, said the drugs are strong and cannot be taken on an empty stomach.

He , however, said  the village health teams are sensitising  people living with HIV on dangers of abandoning treatment.

“Skipping or abandoning treatment affects the reduction of the viral load and protection of the immune system,” Dr Wangisi said.

Mr Dominic Wazira, the senior probation and welfare of children, Mbale City called on well-wishers to support children living with HIV/AIDS and those who have been abandoned. “The public should not wait for donors from outside the country,” Mr Wazira said.

He made the statement after Sr Mary Lunyoro, the administrator of St Kizito Babies Home, said vulnerable children also need special attention after receiving food items from UWESO..

“The situation has not been so good because the support we have been getting from the main donor of this babies’ home for the last 13 years has reduced yet taking care of the babies is so expensive,” Sr Lunyoro said.

HIV situation in Uganda

Uganda Aids Commission says an estimated 1.4 million people were living with HIV/Aids in 2020
The figures show that;
•820,000 females and males 490,000 males were above 15 years
•170,000 were youths between 15-24 years
• 98,000 were children under 14 years  
• 22,000 people including 4,300 children under 14 years died