Benin: In Cotonou, a special centre provides support to children living with HIV

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00:00After school, these children head to a special center in Cotonou that supports children living with HIV.

00:07But some have still not returned since the COVID-19 pandemic.

00:12Unfortunately, we have lost track of a few kids.

00:17We had to cope with that and see the effects it had on our patients' care.

00:21We tried to address the situation, but unfortunately, we can't salvage everything.

00:28Yvette and her 9-year-old son, Nathan, are among those who haven't interrupted their treatments during the pandemic.

00:35Nathan was born with HIV, infected by his mother, but isn't aware of his condition.

00:42He knows that he and I are taking pills, but he doesn't know why.

00:45He sometimes asks questions, but we make him understand that it's because he doesn't eat well that the doctor prescribed them.

00:53The psychologist will let him know of his status shortly before his 12th birthday.

00:58But the children can get psychological support right away if they start asking questions about their medications.

01:08Slowly, we will explain to him that there are germs in his body,

01:12and that he needs to take his medications properly to avoid getting sick and not feel different from the others.

01:19In Benin, the rate of mother-to-child transmission of the virus has dropped fourfold over the past 15 years.

01:26Meanwhile, the number of young patients at this NGO has risen by more than 37 percent between 2022 and 2024.

01:35To help boost their immune systems, a nutritionist teaches mothers how to improve their children's diets.

01:43It's complicated here in Benin because we tend to leave the sauce on the heat for so long that it loses all its nutritional value.

01:50After the pandemic, prevention campaigns aimed at the youth have ramped up.

01:55According to official reports, Benin recorded 1,400 new cases of HIV-AIDS last year,

02:03mostly among young girls aged 15 to 24.

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