Letters could help teens with HIV adhere to medication

As numbers of children taking medicine while at school increases, experts are calling on the government to issue schools with letters that allow learners to comfortably carry their prescribed medication to school and take it without any hitches.

If implemented, the letters, which indicate a list of the medicines in possession of the student, will not disclose the learner’s illness, and thus will boost adherence to medication and particularly mitigate the rising numbers of HIV-positive adolescents who are defaulting on medication. It will also create a safe and non-discriminatory environment for them at school. This is in accordance with a new resolution adopted by the ministries of Health and Education to address growing cases of HIV among adolescents.

The two ministries will also oversee training for teachers and school matrons to equip them with skills to handle students living with chronic diseases including HIV/Aids.

In what it terms as the need to implement structural interventions in addressing the rapidly increasing cases of new HIV infections among adolescents, National Aids and STI Control Programme (Nascop) Director Martin Sirengo said that the new guidelines are part of six resolutions adopted last month by the two ministries.

The intention is to link the education management information system to the HIV situation room in order to enhance HIV surveillance and to guide interventions. “We acknowledge that infection among adolescents is a problem which, if not addressed properly, can erode the gains made over the years,” said Dr Sirengo. He added that there have been rising cases of adolescent drug defaulters especially those in boarding schools because the institutions have banned carrying of medicines.

 “We have heard cases of students hiding the drugs in places which weaken their efficacy like between books while others default altogether due to lack of a safe, non-discriminatory environment.

“We want to change that and also have them allowed to go for medical check-ups when needed,” added Dr Sirengo. He also stressed the need for a change in the curriculum on HIV education, arguing that with the advent of treatment, the notion in the current curriculum that people die from HIV should be changed.

Further, he said that there was need to introduce different age-appropriate messages about the disease, since “the one size fits all” system is not applicable. “The message an adult can decipher is not what a child in a kindergarten can comprehend.

We need to tailor the messages with the target audience in mind,” he said. A task force comprising directors of education was formed to come up with operational plans for the implementation of the resolutions.

The committee will also develop a training curriculum for HIV and sexual violence for teachers and students. “We must create an environment that takes care of all the health conditions affecting our children,” observed Education Principal Secretary, Dr Belio Kipsang, during the adoption of the resolutions.