This observational cohort study, by Andrew Edmonds and colleagues, reports that treatment with highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) markedly improves the survival of HIV-infected children in Kinshasa, DRC, a resource-deprived setting. The findings presented suggest that HAART is as effective for improving the survival of HIV-infected children in a severely resource-deprived country (still recovering from civil war) as in more resource-privileged settings. Most observational studies on the effects of antiretroviral treatment on child survival have been undertaken in high income countries, such as Italy and the United States. But most children with HIV live in low resource areas where multiple factors, such as delayed presentation to care and a higher incidence of co-occurring conditions, might adversely affect treatment outcomes, so this study addresses a specific need for information on the effects of HAART on children with HIV living in low-income countries.
Funding: The HIV care and treatment program at Kalembe Lembe Pediatric Hospital and Bomoi Healthcare Center, conducted in collaboration with the Kinshasa School of Public Health and the National AIDS Control Program, was funded by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Global AIDS Program (http://www.cdc.gov/globalaids; grant number U62/CCU422422) and the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (http://www.pepfar.gov; grant number 5U2GPS001179-01), with additional support from the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation (http://www.pedaids.org), the Belgian Development Cooperation (http://diplomatie.belgium.be/en/policy/development_cooperation), the William J. Clinton Foundation (http://www.clintonfoundation.org), the United Nations Children's Fund (http://www.unicef.org), and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria (http://www.theglobalfund.org/en). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.
Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
Citation: Edmonds A, Yotebieng M, Lusiama J, Matumona Y, Kitetele F, et al. (2011) The Effect of Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy on the Survival of HIV-Infected Children in a Resource-Deprived Setting: A Cohort Study. PLoS Med 8(6): e1001044. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1001044
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CONTACT:
Andrew Edmonds
Department of Epidemiology
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill
North Carolina
United States of America
aedmonds@email.unc.edu
Journal
PLoS Medicine