Impact of HIV/Aids on Child Mortality before the Highly Active Antiretroviral Therapy Era: A Study in Pointe-Noire, Republic of Congo

• Published in: Journal of Tropical Medicine
• Main Authors: Camille Lallemant, Gaston Halembokaka, Gaelle Baty, Nicole Ngo-Giang-Huong, Francis Barin, Sophie Le Coeur
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Wiley 2010
• Subjects: Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine; RC955-962; Arctic; Noire; Pointe Noire
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1155/2010/897176; https://doaj.org/article/9f341a4e6f584fa398b7109cb975d91c

Few studies have documented the contribution of HIV/AIDS to mortality among children under 15 years. From June 30 to October 19, 2001, all child deaths (n=588) registered to the morgue and/or hospitals of the city of Pointe-Noire, Congo, were investigated using a combined approach including an interview of relatives and postmortem clinical and biological HIV diagnosis. Twenty-one percent of children were HIV positive, while 10.5% of deaths were attributed to AIDS. The most common causes of death in HIV-infected children were pneumonia (30%), pyrexia (22%), diarrhoea (16%) and wasting syndrome (16%). Infant mortality rate was estimated 6.3 times higher in children born to HIV-infected mothers compared to HIV-uninfected mothers. This study provides a direct measure of HIV/AIDS as impact on child mortality using a rapid and reliable method. A significant number of deaths could be prevented if HIV infection was diagnosed earlier and infants were provided with antiretroviral treatments.