Preventing HIV transmission from mothers to babies
crucial to reducing infant mortality, panel says
NEW YORK, 8 May 2002 - Global efforts to reduce child
deaths have made enormous gains since the 1960s. But
those gains are now being threatened, or even reversed,
by HIV/AIDS: In the many countries world-wide affected
by HIV/AIDS, infants are contracting HIV from their
mothers during pregnancy, childbirth or breastfeeding.
In 2001, 800,000 children under the age of 15 contracted
HIV, over 90 per cent of them through mother-to-child
transmission. The largest numbers of such infections
occur in sub-Saharan Africa, where the HIV/AIDS epidemic
is at its severest.
Prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT)
of HIV is possible, according to Dr. José Martines
of the World Health Organization's Department of Child
and Adolescent Health, but many more women and children
must have access to information and help. "[PMTCT]
works," he said. "Now we must make it accessible
to more children."
Dr. Martines joined other experts on HIV/AIDS today
in a panel discussion on ways to promote PMTCT. Members
of the panel, a supporting event of the UN General Assembly
Special Session on Children, discussed strategies to
achieve the international year 2005 goal of reducing
the number of infants infected with HIV by 20 per cent.
They emphasized that safe delivery practices, anti-retroviral
therapy, counselling and support on infant-feeding methods
are critical to achieving this goal.
But they also noted that poverty, the stigma of HIV/AIDS
and the burden of other infectious diseases impede progress
in many countries.
"We acknowledge the challenges that must be overcome
to implement these recommendations," cautioned
Dr. Miriam Labbok, Senior Advisor on Infant and Young
Child Feeding and Care at UNICEF.
Dr. Oluwatoyin Akinlade of the Women's Justice Programme
in Lagos, Nigeria, is all too familiar with the difficulties.
She attended today's session in search of practical
ideas she could apply under the real conditions back
home. "Reaching all women will be a challenge,"
she said.
Dr Akinlade agreed with the panelists' recommendation
that one way to help large numbers of women is to train
traditional birth attendants. In Nigeria, Dr. Akinlade
said, the majority of pregnant women rely on traditional
birth attendants because they cannot afford to deliver
their babies in hospitals. Traditional birth attendants
and informed health workers can provide women with access
to voluntary and confidential HIV counselling and testing.
They can also coach HIV-positive mothers on safe infant
feeding methods.
There are encouraging signs of success with these methods.
According to Dr. Valdiléa Veloso dos Santos,
HIV/AIDS Coordinator for the city of Rio de Janeiro,
Brazil, her country has seen a decline in paediatric
AIDS cases since 1995, the year that the Government
of Brazil decided to focus on PMTCT. A year later, the
Government began to offer anti-retroviral treatment
for all Brazilians who were HIV positive. And in 1997,
it began offering HIV testing for all pregnant women
during prenatal care. According to Dr. Veloso dos Santos,
ensuring drug treatment for every HIV-positive person
helped reduce the stigma of HIV/AIDS, making mothers
more willing to seek help with PMTCT. As a result, there
are fewer babies infected with HIV.
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