Nigeria loses about 13,000 children to AIDs each year. This number is hard to control when the fate of children & adolescents lie with parents who may be in denial of the virus or refuse the ARV medication. The age of consent which does not allow children below 18 years of age to independently access HIV test/treatment, even if a Caregiver/Medical official requires, leaves more children vulnerable than protected.
In this advocacy campaign on World AIDS Day 2020, an HIV Case finder shares his experience. IHVN Volunteers comb through rural communities in Rivers state, Nigeria to find these children. However, there is a limit to how much a Care giver can help if parents hold conspiracy theories that do not support the treatment of HIV.