Approximately 700,000 children become newly infected with HIV annually, mainly through mother-to-child transmission (MTCT), making paediatric HIV a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. The substantial interest in preventing MTCT (PMTCT) has generated information on rates of transmission and associated factors, but there is a lack of information on disease progression and mortality in vertically-infected children, especially from resource-poor settings. Peer-review journals with titles or abstracts containing reference to the review's themes were selected using widely available search engines. We review relevant literature on mortality in children born to HIV infected mothers; morbidity and mortality associated with paediatric HIV infections; eligibility to and efficacy of antiretroviral therapy (ART). Child mortality is independently associated with maternal HIV status and maternal death, with paediatric infection resulting in approximately 4 fold increase in mortality by age 2 years. Morbidities seen in infected children were similar to those seen in uninfected children, although the rates and recurrences of illness were greater. There is some evidence that progression to AIDS may be more rapid in resource poor settings, although data on this are very limited. PMTCT and paediatric ART have been shown to be highly successful in resource-limited settings, but are not universally applied. Further efforts to increase coverage of both PMTCT and paediatric ART could substantially reduce the numbers of children becoming infected and improve survival of those infected. Additionally, improvements in health infrastructures could improve care provision, not only through improved detection and monitoring but also through treatment of co-morbidities and nutritional support.

The current market for FDC paediatric ARVs is already substantial and will only grow with improved and scaled up diagnosis and monitoring of children. This provides an argument for immediate increase of production and development of FDC ARVs for children. These formulations must be low cost and included in the list of Essential Medicines to avoid children continuing to lag behind in access to treatment. Access-oriented, long-term drug policy strategies with the ability to pass muster of governments, the UN system, as well as generic and research-based enterprises are needed to let children gain expanded and sustained access to FDC ARVs. Under the requirements listed above, IP-bound Voluntary License (VL) flexibilities do appear, if coupled with substantial combination incentives to generic firms, as a fitting tool into the needs. Policies must consider enhancing human resource capacity in the area of caregivers and social and health workers aiming to spread correct information and awareness on effectiveness and rationale of FDC ARVs for children. Policies should urge that paediatric ARV treatment programmes entwine with extant interventions on prevention of mother-to-child transmission, as well as with HIV treatment initiatives focused on mothers and household members. Policies, again, should consider centralising functions and pooling resources to help overcome drug supply barriers. WHO's brokering role in VL-based agreements between wealthy and developing country industries, as well as its technical guidance in setting international standards should not be waived while looking for sustained access to optimised ARV treatments for children. Strategies discussed in this paper, while taking unavoidability of marketing and profit rules into account, look closely into the trade and drug policy directions of China and India according to frontier crossing implications of their IP management trends as well as their multi-faceted penetration strategies of both the wealthy and under-served markets the world over.

This model is easy to implement and flexible and can be used in ART programmes at national and local level.

Literature on legal aspects of suicide prevention is reviewed to focus on fundamental issues of care. The legal basis of liability is discussed in the context of risk assessment and risk management of suicidal patients. The "four Ds"--duty, dereliction of duty, damages and direct causation--are illustrated. Standards are described at three levels: of the profession, the court and the individual practitioner. Risk assessment is often confused with prediction; the latter is conceptually unsound, and while the former is more sound it is disappointingly imprecise. Despite reliability problems, risk assessment and appropriate management are important, as life itself is involved. Clinicians should be aware that informed consent requires responsibility for suicide prevention to be shared with patients. Such involvement of patients in self-destructive frames of mind raises complex issues. Management issues of both inpatients and outpatients at acute or chronic risk are discussed. Potential pitfalls for clinicians are outlined. Communications with, and the supervision of, other staff must be carefully considered. Families of vulnerable persons or those following bereavement also merit consideration. Patients are entitled to treatment with dignity and liberty--the latter should not be compromised any more than is essential--even when suicide is a possibility. Balancing these difficult issues may be easier if clinicians have a clear awareness of them.

No abstract