The National Aids Commission has pleaded with parents and guardians to take interest in ensuring that their wards who are on ART are adhering to medication.
According to NAC, currently Malawi has about 52 thousand children below the age of 14 who are living with the virus.
However, according to the statistics from the National Aids Commission, only 71 percent of the infected children are on treatment which is below the set 95-95-95 target.
In an interview with MIJ Online, Francis Mabedi HIV and Aids Prevention and Management officer at NAC said children in the said ages tend to shun medication due to stigma from their peers.
“Most of the children in the said age range were born with the virus and as they grow up, they and their friends begin to realise the type of medication they are taking and once that happen, it attracts stigma from their peers hence shunning treatment. We therefore plead with parents and guardians to take interest in ensuring that their wards who are on ART are adhering to the same,” Mabedi said.
According to 2022 NAC statistics show that about 15 thousand people get infected with HIV every year,and currently about a million people are living with HIV in Malawi.
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