AIDS in children

Compared to many other infectious diseases, AIDS is rare in infants. But it occupies a leading position in the list of parental alarms. AIDS stands for "acquired immune deficiency syndrome" and is caused by the human immunodeficiency virus, or HIV.This virus disarms the immune system, making the body vulnerable to a myriad of infections, such as pneumonia and sepsis. In infants, AIDS also causes abnormalities in the development of the brain, growth retardation, and swelling, and after a while ends in a fatal outcome. Here are the most basic questions that parents have about AIDS.

How can a child become infected with AIDS?

AIDS can only be transmitted in such ways:

• through sexual intercourse;

• with blood transfusion;

• through an infected needle with subcutaneous injections;

• from an infected mother to a child during pregnancy or perhaps through breast milk;

AIDS can not be infected through:

• saliva;

• tears;

• cough;

• sneezing;

• sweat;

• household items;

• dishes;

• Seat in the toilet;

• pets;

• flies;

• mosquitoes and mosquitoes;

• excrement;

• in the pool;

• through clothing.

Can my child get AIDS by playing with an AIDS-infected child?

No. The AIDS virus does not spread through the air. Here is evidence of how difficult it is for one child to transmit AIDS to another: studies have shown that children living with siblings infected with AIDS do not contract AIDS, although they share toys, toothbrushes, glasses, and so on.

Can my child get AIDS in kindergarten?

Children are infected in kindergarten with any other infection, but not AIDS.AIDS is not transmitted through embraces or kisses, and AIDS specialists are convinced that transmission of the virus through the bite of another child is extremely unlikely. Even if the infected child is injured, to infect the infected blood you need to get into the blood of another child, for example through an open wound. Although theoretically possible, such a coincidence is very unlikely.

Can a child get AIDS through pets or toys?

No. The AIDS virus is able to survive only in the human body. Even toys that can be infected with

infected blood can be disinfected with a simple household bleach.

Can an AIDS-infected pregnant woman transmit the disease to her unborn child?

Yes, studies have shown that the probability of such transmission is 30-50 percent.

Can a child get AIDS with a blood transfusion?

Today, the risk is virtually reduced to zero. With the modern technology of blood tests, the Red Cross believes that the risk is approximately one to forty thousand or one to a million. Because even such a paltry risk will alarm you if a child needs a blood transfusion, you, or a member of your family, or a friend with a compatible blood group can become a donor.

Can AIDS be transmitted from an infected mother to her baby through breast milk?

AIDS research specialists still can not give a definitive answer on this issue. Several cases indicate that women who contracted the AIDS virus immediately after delivery with blood transfusions transmitted the virus to their infants through milk. There were also cases in which mothers contracted AIDS during pregnancy and fed their children with breastfeeding for about seven months without passing the virus on to them. All experts agree that the risk of transmitting AIDS through breast milk is definitely lower than the risk of transmitting it through the blood during pregnancy. At this time, the possibility of transmitting the virus through breast milk is not fully understood, and each mother-child pair should be considered individually to decide whether it is permissible for them to breast-feed or not. This fear definitely should not turn away from breastfeeding a mother who does not know if she has a virus.

Is it safe for me if I adopt an HIV-infected child?

Yes, it's safe. As in school or kindergarten, the probability that an infected child will transmit a virus to family members, friends or adoptive parents is, according to the statement of the Special Commission on AIDS in children of the American Pediatric Academy, practically zero.

Researchers are working hard to find both a safe and effective treatment for AIDS and a vaccine to prevent it. At the moment, the only way to prevent AIDS in children is to prevent it in adults.