I've just read your reply of Dec.11th 2000 regarding long term nonprogressors. Following discovery that my wife is positive from a blood transfusion in Africa 15 years ago, my three children aged 7,11, and 13 have just been diagnosed as positive, but none are sick - the eldest is positively fat.

Is there any casework evidence (as opposed to "may eventually develop symptoms") to suggest what are the percentage chances of symptoms developing at various ages?

Children who acquire HIV from the mother during pregnancy or at the time of delivery develop symptoms of AIDS more quickly than when teenagers or adults acquire HIV infection. Without treatment about 15-20% of infants will develop symptoms within several months after delivery and die by 6-9 months of age. Approximately, 70-80% of children will not develop AIDS for several years and then die at 6-7 years of age. Approximately 5% of chldren will will remain symptom free until 8 years of age or longer (long term non-progressors). With the new antiretroviral treatment, the lives of infected children are becoming greatly extended, but we do not know yet for how long.

BJ