Introduction
HIV in SSA [
DISEASE
Children and adolescents form a significant part of the world population of people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), with the World Health Organization (WHO) reporting 1.8 million children (age < 15) and 1.8 million adolescents (ages 10–19) in Sub-Saharan Africa in 2019 [Despite high access for pregnant women to HIV treatment of 92%, the percentage of infected infants has not decreased much since 2010 [It is estimated that only 59% of children (0–14 years) living with HIV are on anti-retroviral (ARV) treatment in Eastern and Southern Africa [Adolescents (aged 15–19) are more independent than children below 14 and depend less on their parents. Reports from nurse counsellors in our setting imply that older children, including adolescents, visit clinics independently and often do not have their parents/caregivers as treatment supporters. Virological suppression is more difficult in this group, and levels differ significantly between studies: 27 to 89% [Digital adherence tools (DATs) have been proposed for monitoring adherence and have been investigated in several studies [Using the common way of communication through SMS has a high potential for disease management. The number of mobile phone subscriptions per 100 inhabitants in Tanzania was 86% in 2020. Additionally, over 25 billion local SMS were sent in the second quarter of 2019 [Only limited evidence exists for interventions improving adherence to treatment and retention in care for children and adolescents with HIV in SSA [