Hyderabad: A 14-year-old boy diagnosed with HIV became an orphan when his mother died due to a sudden cardiac arrest on Thursday. The boy, who lost his father 10 years ago, tested positive for HIV in November 2016.
Mujtaba Askari, founder of Helping Hands Foundation, an NGO, said: “Apart from HIV, he is also suffering from dementia. He has severe impairment of memory and speech. He is unable to stand without support, has no control over his bladder and bowel movements and needs full-time care.”
The neurology out-patient section at NIMS inspected the boy last year and, after tests, revealed that he has a HIV-related neurocognitive disorder that leads to loss of memory, mood swings and incapability to handle regular work.
Mr Askari has approached the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) for protection and care of the boy. The boy used to stay with his mother in the Sulthan Nagar area of Yousufguda.
She passed away on Thursday morning after a cardiac arrest. According to National Aids Control Organisation (NACO), 50,000 children are diagnosed with HIV each year. A recent RTI query filed by Helping Hands Foundation highlighted that Telangana State has 1,73,398 cases of PLHIV (people living with HIV) as of January 1, 2017.
Of these, 11,846 new cases were reported in 2016 and almost 300 children below the age of 14 years were diagnosed to have HIV/AIDS. The Parent to Child Transmission (PPTCT) ratio in TS is 3.67 per cent higher than the national average.
