UNITE FOR CHILDREN UNITE AGAINST AIDS

Prevention of Parent-to-Child Transmission of HIV

© UNICEF/PAKA/Zaidi

HIV is an epidemic quite unlike any other, combining the problems of a lifelong medical disease with immense social, psychological, economic, and broader public health consequences for both the individual and society. Three decades of dealing with this pandemic has taught us some powerful and tragic lessons; in the long term prevention works better and is less costly than treatment, prevailing stigma and prejudices adversely affect the epidemic and thwart national efforts to prevent it, and coordinated proactive efforts beyond just health are needed if we are to stay ahead of this devastating disease.

HIV among children is now an emerging problem in Asian countries particularly in countries with rising HIV prevalence among women. Needless to say it threatens to erase years of hard achieved gains in improving child survival and has significant consequences for increasing the under 5 years age mortality rates.

UNICEF has supported the National AIDS Control Programme (NACP), Government of Pakistan in producing the following three important reference documents on Prevention of Parent-to-Child Transmission (PPTCT) of HIV:

1. Prevention of Parent-to-Child Transmission of HIV: National Strategic Framework
2. Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV: Clinical Guidelines 
3. Prevention of Parent-to-Child Transmission of HIV: Paedatric Guidelines

Prevention of Parent-to-Child Transmission of HIV: National Strategic Framework
The PPTCT Strategic Framework has been developed through a consultative process with input from stakeholders working in HIV, MCH, family planning and public health arenas.

Prevention of Parent-to-Child Transmission of HIV: Clinical Guidelines
In the light of increasing risk of mother to child transmission of HIV, it is critical to have relevant and practical clinical guidelines that can be used by health practitioners at multiple levels of service provision.

Prevention of Parent-to-Child Transmission of HIV: Paedatric Guildelines
These Clinical Guidelines are designed to help develop a system of practical clinical algorithms for delivering optimal and effective pediatric HIV care including management and prvention of incections, antiretroviral therapy and adherence counseling.