Youthsdefaultonantiretroviraltreatment

THE National Aids Council (Nac) has expressed concern over the growing trend of youths defaulting on antiretroviral (ART) treatment.

According to a report from Gweru District presented during a stakeholders’ meeting organised by Nac, youths between 15 to 25 years were defaulting ART treatment due to various reasons that include failure to disclose HIV status to suitors, migration and resistance.

In an interview on the sidelines of the stakeholders’ meeting, Gweru District Aids co-ordinator Mr Murari Hwingwiri said there were cases of youths defaulting ART in Gweru and mostly in Mtapa high density suburb.

Mr Hwingwiri said some of those who have defaulted were now on the second line ART treatment which is usually prescribed for people who would have defaulted on the first line treatment which is given to patients when they are initially initiated on ART.

First-line ART is the initial regimen prescribed for an ART naïve patient when the patient fulfils national clinical and laboratory criteria to be initiated on ART.

Treatment guidelines for first-line ART recommend three drug combination therapy from two classes of ARV drugs for initial treatment i.e. 2 NRTI + 1 NNRTI.

Second-line ART is the subsequent regimen used in sequence immediately after first-line therapy has failed.

Treatment guidelines recommend use of Ritonavirboosted protease inhibitors (bPIs) supported by two agents from the NRTI class, of which at least one should be new.

“It was during the meeting that one health personnel highlighted that they were having challenges with youths and adolescences at Mtapa Clinic who were defaulting because of various reasons. Some of the reasons stated were that when they get married they do not disclose their HIV statuses to their partners, and in an attempt to conceal it they start defaulting. Some are migrating to other countries and they end up defaulting,” said Mr Hwingwiri.

The Government recently expressed concern over the high prevalence rate of HIV infections and Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) among youths, especially college and university students.

According to Ministry of Health and Child Care HIV prevalence rate has decreased countrywide from 29 percent to about 13 percent but HIV new incidences were on the increase especially among youths.