Epidemiological and clinical aspects of paediatric HIV infections in Setif (Algeria)

Results Of 286HIV-infected patients, 12 were children (4.1%), 8 (66.7%) of whom were male. Ages at diagnosis ranged from 6 months to 12 years (median 5). Of the 10 (83.3%) children who acquired the infection by vertical transmission, median age at diagnosis was 3 years. Only one woman was offered PMTCT interventions with HAART started lately at 38 weeks of pregnancy, oral AZT and replacement feeding to neonate. All neonates were delivered by spontaneous vaginal delivery, 9 of them were breastfed throughout infancy. Children commonly presented with prolonged fever (25%), recurrent cough (n=33.3 %), failure to thrive (n=41.66 %) and recurrent diarrhoea (n=8.3%). One case had tuberculosis associated to herpes zoster, 2 cases of moluscum contagiosum, one case of anal condyloma and one case of visceral leishmaniosis. All cases received highly active antiretroviral. Of those 91.6% were compliant with treatment and had a sustained virologic response below the detectable levels. One child died at age of 6 months.