新闻资讯

Minutes for Working Group Meeting on Children and HIV/AIDS

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Date/Time:              2:30pm-5pm, 19^th August 2011

Venue:                        Large meeting room UNICEF

 

Chair:                         Ms. Zhang Lei, HIV speciallists UNICEF

 

Purpose of the meeting:

        

            To serve as a platform for exchange information and experiences for government counterpart, social organizations working in children & AIDS area;

           Generate and disseminate strategic information on the situation of children & AIDS,  and providing opportunities for exchanging technical expertise;

           Mobilize resources for children, and assist in coordination of a nationally driven multi-sectorial response;

 

Meeting summary:

Four presentations were delivered at the meeting, and 30 participants from 24 organizations attended the meeting (name list Attached).

 

1         Introduction by the Chair on the agenda of the meeting; and the participants’ brief self-introduction.

 

2         Dr. Zhao Yan from NCAIDSbriefed to the participants on the survey findings of HIV positive children’s family and surviving states (UNICEF support). Dr. Zhao firstly introduced the background situation of pediatric treatment &care for children in China since 2002-2010; highlighted before 2010 the 1^st and 2^ndline drug for children were mostly depend donation, and since 2011 all the drugs for children can be purchased domestically, and some even manufactured domestically. The survey were conducted among 44 children who are currently receiving treatment (some infected through MTCT, and others through blood transmission) Key finds include: among those children about 1/3 of have lost their mother, and 1/3 have lost father. The living status of those children is: about 90% of them have not received the sustainable support, 1/3 of the family economic status are lower in compare with others in the same community.  Many of them have lost the care from their closed ones, the survey find that the children under their mother’s care compare with those children who living only with father have been received far better look after, that’s presented in psychol-social status, drug adherence, school attendance…Dr. Zhao has also pointed that how to properly inform children about their parents and their own HIV status are urgent issues needs to be addressed, currently there are very limited skills and knowledge can be used in China.

 

3         Mr. Xu from Beijing Research Institute of Information Controlbriefed the UNICEF supported Survey ‘The impact of HIV/AIDS to children in China Lao, shao, Bian, Qiong area’.  The survey is conducted at 13 counties in Yunnan, Guizhou, Shanxi and Xinjiang four provinces, 406 children affected by HIV and their caregivers, 71 relevant organizations including CNCCC, civil affairs, CDC, women’s federations at local level were involved at this survey. Key findings included: a) Long-term stability of the relatives-in support for children's growth and development in all key aspects played an important role, the need for more long-term stability of the relative-style support; b) Minimal assistance and other forms of financial support has greatly improved the children's basic living and schooling conditions, but still need financial support to efforts to further increase, with particular attention to raising children without a mother; c) Home visits, summer camp, camping, reading books and other collective activities help to improve psychological care for children's mental state; d) Campaigns have improved community environment for children affected by AIDS, but there is still social discrimination-- Nearly 70% of children affected by AIDS status in the community were not disclosed, among those who have exposure their HIV status, 14% of them had been experienced discrimination; although about 90% of the caregivers knowing there are assistance policies that they can apply for, but because of fear of exposure status, discrimination, of which only 29% of caregivers had the initiative to apply for assistance. Suggestions were also provide to policy makers for improving living status of children affected by HIV.

 

4         Dr. Wang Ailing from China CDC National Centre for Women and Children’s Health (MCH)has briefed the participation on the topic of ‘Experiences on Paediatric HIV and Congenital Syphilis Care and Treatment Interventions’. She reported the progress made by the government in elimination of paediatric HIV and congenital syphilis since 2005-2010; she also introduced the development and issue of the National Strategy Plan for Syphilis Prevention and Control (2011-2020) by MOH, which will increase the coverage of PMTCT services from 453 counties to 1156 counties. The newly issued strategic plan has emphasized the integration of PMTCT into current MCH and RH services. Dr. Wang also laid great stress on the challenges faced to implementing the plan, which are how to efficiently collaborate with other internal and external sectors, Lack of capacity of service, such as human resource constraints and weak capacity to provide quality services, especially at local level.

 

5         The last presentation was presented by Mr. Humphrey Wou from AIDS Relief Fund for China. The topic of the presentation is about community quality rapid test. Through his presentation, he emphasis Community-based rapid testing is best as a tool to help key affected population and those who are unwilling to go to a government clinic or a hospital; it Should not be offered to general public without apparent reasons, especially should not be used as a tool for collect data but lacking of the ability to provide follow-up services; he introduced the key steps on how to establish community-based rapid test and unit cost which has presented as a whole package for conducting community rapid testing. He has also briefed with the participants about the achievement made by his organization over last year.

 

6         Followed by the four presentations participants has raised and discussed concerns and issues that need attention, including: Drugs and price for children- whether China is going to imitation of children’s formula; Importance of Psychol-social support for teenaged HIV positive children; Lack of skills at local level for children’s adherence care; participant also shared their programme information, which Dongzhen has shared Survey report summary on: HIV Blood transmission Compensation; GBC shared their Summer camp activities information; CHAIN called for updating NGO directory;

 

The meeting concluded by the Chair and finished at 5pm.