Demographic and Care Profi le of Orphans in an Antiretroviral Clinic in Northern Nigeria Lawal Waisu Umar 1 Shuaibu Musa 1 Fatima L. Abdullahi 1 1 Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital (ABUTH), Shika-Zaria, Kaduna, Nigeria J Pediatr Infect Dis Address for correspondence Dr. Lawal Waisu Umar, MBBS, FWACP (Paed), Department of Pediatrics, Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital, Shika-Zaria, Kaduna State, Nigeria (e-mail: umarlw@gmail.com). Introduction Despite significant progress in the global AIDS response, the HIV epidemic has continued to cause deaths among adults. Consequently, AIDS-related mortality continues to account for a significant proportion of orphans, especially in areas with high HIV prevalence. 1 An orphan is a child aged 0 to 17 years whose mother, father, or both (double orphans) have died. 2 The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that by 2013 the orphan population due to HIV/AIDS had risen to 17.8 million globally and 85% of these live in sub-Saharan Africa. 3 As at the end of 2005, out of over 132 million children classified as orphans in Keywords ► orphans ► HIV/AIDS ► children ► alternative caregivers ► demographic profile ► Nigeria Abstract Background Although the HIV epidemic has mostly stabilized worldwide, the steady rise in the number of children orphaned by AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa currently accounts for an increase in the total population of orphans. The quality of alternative care will depend on the caregiver and the setting. Information on caregivers and the care settings for orphans could provide a basis for the formulation of appropriate strategic responses for their support. The aim of the article is to describe the demographic characteristics and alternative care profiles of orphans among children attending a pediatric antiretroviral treatment facility. Methods This was a cross-sectional study of consecutive children attending the antiretroviral therapy clinic of Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital Zaria in Northern Nigeria. Demographic characteristics, HIV status, and caregiver information were obtained and recorded into a standardized structured proforma. Data were analyzed using SPSS software version 20 (IBM Corp., Armonk, New York, United States), and results presented as means, percentages, contingency tables and charts, with p values of < 0.05 considered as statistically significant. Results Out of 441 children (mean age 73.5  37.1 months), 53.3% were females, with 160 orphans and an orphan prevalence of 36.3%. Overall, 90 (56.3%) were paternal, 38 (23.8%) maternal, and 32 (20.0%) double orphans. Orphans were younger, with 59.4% also being HIV infected. Nearly half of these orphans (49.4%) were under the care of paternal relatives, with 39 (24.3%) being under the care of a grandmother. Conclusion Family kinship network constitutes a vital secondary alternative for orphan care next to care by surviving parents. The need for priority support directed at alternative caregivers cannot be overemphasized. received December 6, 2015 accepted after revision March 11, 2016 Copyright © by Georg Thieme Verlag KG, Stuttgart · New York DOI http://dx.doi.org/ 10.1055/s-0036-1583763. ISSN 1305-7707. Original Article