By Neo Kolane
Lesotho has made significant progress in improving Tuberculosis (TB) and HIV response among the most vulnerable population that include adolescents and children.
This emerged at a virtual meeting hosted in Maseru by the National Aids Commission (NAC) and the Elizabeth Glazier Paediatric Foundation (EGPAF) on Wednesday.
The objective of the meeting was to table the draft Civil Society Organizations (CSOs)HIV and TB Priority Charter for adolescents and children for discussions and adoption by CSOs.
The charter will guide the CSOs engagement with government and donors with a view to improve their response towards HIV and TB among adolescents and children in the country.
Speaking at the meeting, the TB programme manager at the ministry of health Llang Maama said that the CSOs HIV and TB Priority Charter for children and adolescents will strengthen the continued efforts to address pediatric HIV and childhood TB in Lesotho.
She added that the NAC coordination and the eagerness to integrate both TB and HIV in children and adolescents blended well with the Moscow Declaration and the United Nations high level meeting on political declaration to establish national coordination mechanism for TB and involvement of the CSOs in national response.
“I am excited as a person and professionally since we are now achieving this and are bound to make a difference.
Despite high Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission (PMTCT) coverage globally, the truth is new infections in children still persist especially among adolescents and young mothers.
“We still have some pregnant mothers with high viral load and this increase chances of passing the virus to their babies.
“We have children who are born with HIV but have not tested and don’t know their status, and are not on treatment while other children do not have valid viral load results and some of those with results have high viral load with advanced HIV diseases,” she said.
Maama warned that TB is particularly difficult to diagnose and manage in children although there are different diagnostics for children.
While urgibg for more resources to be availed to detect the disease, she said often children with TB are misdiagnosed and treated for other ailments.
“Although children are more likely to develop active TB disease when exposed to adults with TB, they are rarely offered TB preventive treatment despite the recommendation by the World Health Organization (WHO),” she explained.
This, according to her, is especially true for children with compromised immune systems due to young age, malnutrition, or HIV infection.
“In order to combat the disease in children, WHO and its partners have come up with strategy to meet the goal of zero TB deaths among children worldwide. Achieving this goal requires sustained advocacy, greater commitment, mobilization of increased resources and a joint effort by all stakeholders involved in providing healthcare for children and in TB control.
“I therefore pledge my full personal and ministry’s support for the success of CSOs priority charter to improve TB and HIV response among children and adolescents.
“Making history by ending TB in children is possible and ending AIDS by 2030 is also possible as long as we work and stick together with renewed commitment,” Maama said.
