Prevention of mother-to-child transmission
Vulnerable mothers and babies Almost 100 babies are born HIVpositive every day in Mozambique. Pregnant women can transmit the virus to their babies during pregnancy, delivery or through breastfeeding. An infected woman in developing countries runs a 35 per cent risk of passing HIV to her baby if nothing is done to prevent transmission. However, if she benefits from a package of services designed specifically to lower the risk, the likelihood of infection is halved. A national Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission (PMTCT) programme was launched in 2002. By the end of 2007, around 386 PMTCT sites were operating in Mozambique. However, coverage remains low and highly unequal. A tiny fraction of HIV-positive women are using PMTCT services. The level of knowledge about the risk of a HIVpositive mother infecting her child is low, and more so in rural areas and among poor women and women with no formal education. PMTCT services are also concentrated in and around provincial capitals, limiting access to women living in remote villages.
Diminishing the likelihood of infection The Ministry of Health is assisted by a wide range of partners, including UNICEF, other UN agencies, donors, civil society and communities, to scale up the national PMTCT programme, improve the quality of services and provide community support to HIV-positive children and women. Interventions are concentrated in provinces with the highest prevalence rates. UNICEF works within the framework of the Global Campaign on Children and AIDS and focuses strategically on supporting the Government in creating public demand for PMTCT services while providing support for national and community capacity building in order to implement a comprehensive package of PMTCT services as part of antenatal care programmes. The Ministry of Health aims to expand PMTCT services in all health facilities with antenatal care and maternity wards. UNICEF and partners are supporting the establishement of new centre-based PMTCT sites in provinces with the highest HIV prevalence rates. A comprehensive package of PMTCT services and interventions helps women stay negative, lowers the risk of HIV transmission to children and supports positive mothers and babies. On-the-job training is provided to nurses and doctors on updated PMTCT and paediatric AIDS treatment protocols, counselling and infant feeding among other topics. UNICEF helps the Government to increasing male participation in PMTCT and counteract stigma by supporting community information campaigns. UNICEF also supports community organisations that provide homebased care for mothers and children living with HIV and AIDS. Positive Mothers support groups encourage women to deliver in health facilities rather than at home and help pregnant HIV-positive women adhere to the PMTCT programme. Insecticide treated bed nets, nutritional supplements for infants and adult multivitamins are given to the most vulnerable women and children.
|
