HIV can be transmitted to the child when it is in its mother's womb and when it is breastfed. Some children also contract this deadly virus during childbirth. The symptoms of HIV vary according to the age of the child. The HIV symptoms may be mild, moderate or severe. A child who has tested positive for HIV will show the following symptoms;
- Infants who are infected by the HIV may not show the symptoms of HIV, but in some cases the infant develops persistent diarrhea, swollen lymph nodes, a yeast infection of the mouth called thrush and sometimes a swollen abdomen. The infant also becomes irritable and difficult to console.
- The milder HIV symptoms include sinus infections, ear infections and skin rashes. The child has problems in weight gain. In some cases, the child may also experience unexplained loss of weight.
- Common illnesses, in the next stage of HIV, like pneumonia, infections in the ears and tonsillitis may become severe. The child may also experience severe chickenpox, inflammation of the liver and lung tissues, high fever and kidney diseases. There is also a considerable delay in the mental development of the child.
- Normal growth of the child, according to the age, is affected since the organs in the body are under developed. The child also has problems while walking due to malformed legs.
- Severe HIV symptoms include development of multiple infections like bacterial infections, encephalopathy, systemic yeast infection, cancer and pneumocystis pneumonia, which is a severe form of pneumonia.
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