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Cheap drug to halve kiddie AIDS deaths

    JOHANNESBURG

    Administering co-trimoxazole, a cheap, widely used antibiotic, to HIV-positive children could dramatically cut AIDS-related deaths in Africa.

    During clinical trials conducted between 2001 and 2003 by the British Medical Research Council in Zambia's capital, Lusaka, 540 infected children were dosed over a period of nearly 20 months.

    But the trials were stopped early after researchers discovered how effective antibiotic treatment was in children living with HIV and AIDS.

    Doctor Chifumbe Chintu, a principle clinician at Zambia's University Teaching Hospital, told the UN news service PlusNews: "This will provide a great relief to many African governments ... It is recommended that any child who has been exposed to HIV is provided with co-trimoxazole prophylaxis and nutritional support."

    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

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