Netherlands Sees Drop in Mortality Rate for Children With HIV

A new study reveals that mortality rate for children with HIV is low in the Netherlands compared with other industrialized countries.

The study, presented at EACS 2013, examined data from 1996 to 2010 from all pediatric HIV clinics in the Netherlands.

“The introduction of combination antiretroviral therapy was in 1996 and since that time we have seen a very dramatic decrease in AIDS-related mortality and morbidity,” said Sophie Cohen, MD, of Emma Children’s Hospital, Academic Medical Center in Amsterdam.

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According to the study, the number of children with undetectable viral loads rose from 1996 to 2012. There was also a 0.3 per 100 person-years mortality rate.

“We had a very high percentage of undetectable viral loads on combination antiretroviral therapy as compared to other western European countries,” Cohen said.

“Our country is very small and we have a very good health care system. We do drug therapeutic monitoring in most children and make sure that children keep drug adherence and reward them for doing so.”