Pill Holiday

I think i told you about Mark sometimes back. It was when i was telling you about the young men hooked up to older women in Nairobi, a group which Mark belongs.

Mark is ever in and out of hospital for what he terms 'small' ailments. Since Mark knew about his HIV status, he took it lightly and it has never affected him. He has grown up in orphan hood where no relative cares to know what he does with his life. 

We set to discuss about Mark's condition last week but Mark was not comfortable. He does not want me to know about his adherence. So i set to visit his house. Mark did not know my mission when i was visiting his house. 

In my neighborhood, a grandmother(cucu) to John who is 21 years old now and in Form three had come to my house to request me to talk to John. John had defaulted medication without the knowledge of his "cucu". The cucu who is usually very keen on John's adherence could not understand what had happened. John had been cunning as every time the alarm would ring as a reminder for his medication, he would pick a glass, fill it with water and dash to his bedroom. It was only after two months when cucu went to search for a fees structure in John's bedroom that she was shocked to see the two months untouched dose. She was fuming with range with this discovery she wondered what she had not done for John all this time. 

On Friday, Kui's mother visited me at my office. Kui who is now 22 and lives with her HIV positive mother and her sister has been behaving queerly. Her CD4 count has fallen to 360 and though she has been lucky all this time to avoid the "dreaded antiretrovirals" she is at the blink of starting if she does not take care. Oh with the new WHO guidelines released just recently Kui should be on medication like from yesterday. Her mother had requested her to share her cotrimoxazole with her since her was over and Kui told her to pick from her bedside. She was shocked to find that Kui had not been taking the septrins. She asked her 'If you cant adhere to septrin, how about the ARVs that you talk so ill of?'

Now back to Mark. When i got to his house, i demanded to see his antiretrovirals. Mark was shocked with this and since he knows me when am serious, he decided to tell me the truth. He began, Please Pauline dont judge me, please dont tell anyone, please promise you wont reprimand me..... After all the pleading, i agreed and i sat to listen. Guess what; Mark has not been on medication for the second year running. He told me he is on a pill holiday. He does not understand the reason as to why he should be forced to take medication through out his life without taking holidays. After all every body in life takes a holiday from work, school etc. 

This shocked me. What is society not doing? Is there a gap in addressing the needs of young people born with HIV?

The society has in more than dwelt on PLHIV. Those born and contracted HIV through vertical transmission with HIV inclusive. This has gone on until they have reached 30 years, or don't you know the oldest Kenyan born with HIV is already 30? Somebody needs to take up this and its no other its me. I wish to have funds to conduct a research first to determine the extent and level of pill holiday among young people born with HIV across the country. Appropriate and friendly measures need to be taken to ensure these young people are taken care of. In 2011, it was estimated that 220,000 children were living with HIV with approximately 13,000 new child infections that year. This number of children is below 18 years old. With 15-24 year olds at highest risk of contracting the virus, then HIV prevention interventions among 15-24 need to be up scaled and more focus placed on pediatric HIV.