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For the purpose of the proper medical and psychosocial monitoring of PLHIV, service Yezu Mwiza organized on August 10, 2019 a therapeutic weekend for children and teenagers. This activity meets the 3rd 95% of the WHO objectives according to which 95% of patients on ARV treatment must have an undetectable viral load after 6 months of ARV treatment.

The monitoring of PLWHA in this age group is a major challenge because they only appear in the facility very rarely because most are in school midweek. For example, the analysis conducted in July showed that 80 of the 130 children monitored were in need of viral load.

That examination is of great importance in the follow-up of PPVIH. This represents an accessibility rate of 38.4% while the overall rate is 78%. Most of these children are unobservable and therefore have a detectable viral load. It is with this in mind that this activity was scheduled for the weekend with the aim of: strengthening compliance, taking viral load from children in need and also updating their files.
At reception, the nurses, after having taken the anthropometric measures, especially the weight, checked the file of each child before sending him to the doctors for possible adaptation of the posology to the weight of the child or other therapeutic decision on a case by case.

Based on an image box, children (6-14 years old) have learned the importance of regular medication. In a climate of exchange, young teenagers were made aware of the importance of taking ARVs correctly, to respect viral load appointments. There have been some testimonials and after listening to them, young teenagers with detectable viral load made a decision to change their behavior for their well-being.
"I used to miss appointments because I would have to go to school, and my mother would not take the medicine for me. During the therapeutic weekend of 2018, doctors at SYM have made a friend of mine who takes her treatment so that she helps me; since then I have been taking medication correctly and my viral load is undetectable ". One of the teenagers testifies.
Before closing the activity, the laboratory assistant took the children in need of viral load and 20 were taken. You will know that 50 children participated in the activity and another similar one is planned for September 2019.