PADMAVATHY.K, ANITA SHET, CHITRA DINAKAR, KARTHIKA KUMAR, PREETHY.H, SAJAL CLARENCE SINGH
HIV/AIDS and under nutrition affect immune function, with lack of essential micronutrients leading to nutritionally acquired immune-dysfunction syndrome and this influences immune defences increase susceptibility to various opportunistic infection and diseases, etc. ART alone may not be sufficient to revive an already compromised nutritional status and they need a well balanced food to maintain or improve the nutritional status along with ART.
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TESS LANG, ELSA HAYLEN, SHEEJA PERUMPIL, ANITA SHET, Fr. MATHEW PERUMPIL, WAYNE STEWARD, EMILY SHAMBAN, MARIA EKSTRAND
This study was designed to evaluate the quality of life of children living with HIV at an institutional care home in Bangalore, India. The Sneha Care Home is a unique residence that provides educational and community support with a focus on physical, nutritional, medical, and psychological care for orphans and vulnerable children.
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ANITA SHET
Anemia is common during HIV infection and is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. In India, the profile and impact of anaemia during childhood have not been adequately investigated. We propose a multi-site collaborative study to examine the prevalence of anaemia and related micronutrient deficiencies (such as iron, folic acid, vitamin B12, and vitamin A) among a cohort of children with perinatally-acquired HIV infection in South India.
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PRASANNA K KAPAVARAPU, OMAR BARI, Fr. MATHEW PERUMPIL, CHROSTOPHER DUGGAN, CHITRA DINAKAR, SHUBHA KRISHNAMURTHY, KARTHIKA KUMAR, ANITA SHET
Orphanhood is a tragic consequence of the HIV epidemic worldwide and often compounds pre-existing malnutrition and ill-health among HIV-infected children. As the number of HIV orphans overwhelms the capacity of extended biological families to care for these children, a viable option is to provide institutionalized residential care for these children. This study aims to understand the health status of HIV orphans in a well-structured model institutional facility in India using prospective longitudinal analysis of growth and nutritional status of these children.
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ANITA SHET, UJJWAL NEOGI
Antiretroviral therapy has become the mainstay of HIV management, with effects ranging from improved survival and enhanced quality of life, reduced HIV transmission, and importantly, diminished stigma of infection.The main objective of this analysis is to follow the clinical progress of children with HIV infection, record immunologic and virological outcomes, and establish a biorepository for future laboratory analysis if required.
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Should children living with HIV/ AIDS (CLHA) receive family and community-based care or institutional care? Is it more humane and more financially efficient to care for acutely vulnerable children “at home” or “in a home”? Should we be focusing on “building families” rather than building institutions? Which of the models of care should donors prioritize when making decisions about funding?
The present paper seeks not so much to answer the above questions as to challenge the thinking behind them.
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Telling a child they are HIV positive, answering their questions about medicines, visits to the hospital and their future is a challenging and sensitive issue for parents, health care workers and HIV counseling and testing centers. This report responds to the scarcity of research and programmatic knowledge on disclosure of HIV status to children in India. A study was conducted with four NGOs in Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi and Mumbai that have developed resources, models and expertise to facilitate disclosure to OVC and their families.
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