Sad ! Zombo Learners taking ARVs on empty stomachs

A shocking revelation about  Many  HIV/AIDS-positive children taking  ARVs on empty stomachs before going to school has raised eyebrows amongst the leadership of the forum for people living with HIV AIDS.

The children are amongst the  4, 094  HIV/AIDS clients in Zombo, that are in active care as per the end of September this year’s report.

Collins Canudwoga, The chairperson of the leadership of the forum for people living with HIV and AIDS in Zombo told this Publication that the office is receiving complaints from school heads about some of the complications these children go through after taking the drug on an empty stomach.

He advised parents of these children to change the time for administering medication for the children to night hours after supper to lessen the impact of the complications.

Canudwoga added that the complications end up inconveniencing lessons for the learners in schools.

” We are calling upon parents of these children to give them medication in the evening such that it doesn’t have a lot of complications in their life, we are learning with concerns that the children are taking ARV on an empty stomach which inconveniences their learning in schools,” Canudwoga told the whisper eye news in exclusive interview.

A recent study published by aidsmap.com website  however  recommends that the anti-HIV medication be taken after food consumption

” Many anti-HIV medications can be taken with or without food. However, some of them need to be taken with food to be the most effective. You might also be told to take your medication with food if you have certain side effects”.

Many people attribute the incident of children taking ARVS on empty stomachs to deeply rooted poverty in homes.

Recently, expert clients from Paidha Town Council also raised alarms that many parents of HIV/AIDS-positive children deceive the children that the drugs they are taking a malarial drugs and the children pick the drugs at the health facilities on their own.