For Release: July 7, 1997 5 p.m. (ET)
Below is a highlight of a study appearing on the July PEDIATRICS electronic pages, the Internet extension of Pediatrics, the peer-reviewed, scientific journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). The complete study also is available on PEDIATRICS electronic pages at http://www.pediatrics.org.
PUBLIC SCHOOLS MUST PREPARE FOR STUDENTS WITH HIV
CHICAGO--Children with HIV are living longer and staying healthier, which means more HIV-infected children can be expected to attend schools in years to come. Thats according to a study published by the American Academy of Pediatrics on this months Pediatrics electronic pages. The study notes that the estimated number of HIV-infected children living in the U.S. in early 1994 was more than 12,000, with nearly 40 percent of those children at school-age. More than 1,600 HIV-infected children were born in 1993 alone, and these children have a life expectancy of more than nine years. Since these children will likely be attending school, the studys authors looked at how the children, their parents and the schools are dealing with HIV. The authors come from hospitals and clinics across the state of Massachusetts, as well as from the Massachusetts Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The authors reviewed data on 92 school-aged, HIV-infected children. Of the 92, only three were too ill to attend school, five were home-schooled and the other 84 attended school outside the home. Of those in public school, attendance varied but most had relatively few absences, with half of the group missing less than two weeks of school per year. More than two-thirds of the children between the ages of 5 and 10 had not been told that they had HIV. In more than half of the cases, the school had not been informed of the childs infection. The authors conclude that the health care professionals involved with the child can assist the family in making their decision whether to reveal their childs condition, can serve as an advocate for the child in the educational system and can offer guidance to school personnel on the medical issues that may arise for the HIV- infected child.
EDITORS NOTE: This study appeared on the peer-reviewed, scientific electronic pages of the American Academy of Pediatrics, but does not necessarily reflect the policies or opinions of the Academy. The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 53,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well-being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults.
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