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New plan for nutritional support to HIV positive kids

Bindu Shajan Perappadan

"Likely to take care of 60 % of the calorie, protein and micronutrient needs per day"

NEW DELHI: The National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) has cleared an ambitious new programme to provide nutritional supplement to children enrolled under their Anti-Retroviral Programme (ART) started last November. This major initiative is aimed at covering the nutritional needs of over 3,000 children currently under the ART regime.

According to NACO Director-General Sujata Rao, the programme would be rolled out next month and children would get fortified powdered food supplements free of cost along with the ART medical support. "The supplement is expected to take care of 60 per cent of the child's calorie, protein and micronutrient needs per day. The supplement will be available to children across the country and we have already conducted a field trial to understand the logistics required to carry on this large exercise," she added.

The programme has been undertaken in collaboration with technical support from several international agencies including Clinton Foundation and World Food Programme.

"Children who are HIV positive are comparatively more prone to infections and their nutritional needs thus are greater than children of their age. According to experts, an HIV-infected child with no symptoms needs 10 per cent additional nutritional input per day and the requirement increases with the presence of an infection. This powder supplement can be mixed with a drink or added to the wheat dough for use. It is made easy to use and tastes good. Parents can be sure that their children are getting their daily nutritional need and doctors will have the satisfaction of knowing that the children on the ART programme are under a monitored nutritional routine," said Dr. Jagdish Chandra, Kalawati Saran Children's Hospital's Nodal Officer Paediatric ART Centre.

Consultant HIV/AIDS the United Nations Children's Fund Dr. Tripti Pensi said: "The provision for national supplement is required to make effective the medical aid being provided to children. We are satisfied with the results of the pilot study ."

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