Survival Model for Pediatric HIV/AIDS Patient Using C4.5 Decision Tree Algorithm

(ProQuest: . denotes formulae omitted.)IntroductionHIV/AIDS epidemic remains a global health challenge of unprecedented dimensions and a monumental threat to developmental progress (1). HIV/AIDS is a type of virus called a retrovirus which infects human when it comes in contact with tissues such as those that line the vagina, anal area, mouth, eyes or through a break in the skin (2), while Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is the advanced stage of the retroviral infection that swept through sub-Saharan Africa with venom (3). This infection can cause seizures, fever, pneumonia, recurrent colds, diarrhea, dehydration and other problems that often result in extended hospital stay (4). HIV/AIDS continues to be a very serious health issue facing the world in which 34 million people were living with HIV at the end of 2011 and an estimated 0.8% of adults aged 15-49 years worldwide are living with the virus, although the burden of the epidemic continues to vary considerably between countries and regions (5, 6). In Sub-Saharan Africa, roughly 25 million people were living with HIV in 2012, accounting for nearly 70 percent of the global total of infected patients. The epidemic has both social and economic consequences, not only in the health sector but also in education, industry and the wider economy (7-8). Moreover, Sub-Saharan Africa remains most severely affected with nearly 1 in every 20 adults (4.9%) living with HIV which accounts for 69% of the people living with HIV worldwide at present.There is no cure for HIV but it is being managed with antiretroviral drugs (ARV) and Highly Active Antiretroviral drugs (HAART) which is the optimal combination of ARV (9,10). ARV does not kill the virus but slow down the growth of the virus (5, 7). Antiretroviral therapy (ART) and highly antiretroviral therapy (HAART) are the mechanisms for treating retroviral infections with drugs.The epidemic of HIV/AIDS affects two classes of people: the pediatric and the non-pediatric individuals. The non-Pediatric patients are patients above 15 years of age while the pediatric patients who form the main target of this research are patients whose age is less than 15 years (11). There are four distinct stages of HIV infection which includes: the primary HIV infection stage or clinical stage 1 which involves asymptomatic and acute retroviral syndrome ; clinically asymptomatic stage or clinical stage 2 which involves moderate and unexplained weight loss (There are different modes of transmission of this virus, one of which is mother-to-child transmission. About nine out of ten children exposed are infected with HIV during pregnancy, labour, delivery or while breastfeeding (14). Without treatment, 15-30 percent of babies born to HIV positive women are infected with the virus during pregnancy and delivery and a further 5-20 percent are also infected through breastfeeding (15). In high-income countries, preventive measures are undertaken to ensure that the transmission of HIV from Mother to Child is relatively rare and in cases where it occurs, a range of treatment options are undertaken so that the child can survive into adulthood. Blood transfusion is another route in which HIV infection can occur in medical setting (16). …