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  • Title: [AIDS in children, another public health problem].
    Author: Cruz Bournigal ES.
    Journal: Arch Domin Pediatr; 1990; 26(2):37. PubMed ID: 12347258.
    Abstract:
    In the Dominican Republic 45 cases of pediatric AIDS have been confirmed, which appears to be a small number and could be only the harbinger of an explosion with major socioeconomic impact as well as an impact on infant mortality. The majority of cases reported in children recently proved to be positive for HIV. The first cases of children with HIV were the consequence of blood transfusions. It is not known at what exact time the infection appears in the uterus, but the virus was detected in the placenta and in the fetus at 15-20 weeks of gestation. During labor, transmission is possible through contact with blood and vaginal secretions of the mother. Transmission through maternal milk is rare, therefore the World Health Organization has called for the continuation of breast feeding in developing countries. It is estimated that 20-50% of newborn infants of HIV-positive mothers may become infected. The diagnosis of the infection before 15 months of age constitutes the problem of passive transmission of HIV antibodies from the mother. That is why immunoglobulin G type serological tests do not distinguish between antibodies of the mother or the infant, because positive tests in infants under 15 months of age indicate exposure and not necessarily infection. The classification made in 1987 by the Center for Disease Control in Atlanta is considered useful and practical. The large size of women in reproductive age infected with HIV does mean that in the near future pediatric AIDS will be common, with disastrous economic implications for hospitals that are not prepared for receiving and treating such patients, which involves not only human resources but also psychological input. What started in 1985 as the first described case of pediatric AIDS has turned into a pressing public health problem.
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