Monitoring ARV treatment adherence in children under 15 years of age

The introduction of antiretroviral drugs in Mali has generated a great deal of interest among practitioners and people infected with HIV/AIDS. We conducted a study to evaluate adherence in order to help parents provide good care for children living with HIV/AIDS. At the end of our study, the results showed that: - the 5-9 year old age group was the most represented, i.e. 44%. - the sex ratio was 1.17 in favor of boys - the majority of children were orphans of at least one biological parent - 2INTI + 1INNTI was the most used therapeutic protocol, i.e. 79%. - At the sixth month of follow-up, the rate of good adherence to treatment was 86% compared to 14% of poor adherence - the main forms of non-compliance were missed doses and failure to keep appointments - the most frequent causes were unavailability of caregivers, travel, lack of transportation and forgetfulness - side effects were not uncommon, but did not constitute a major cause of non-compliance.