Back to Index , Back to NAC conference index

Prevention of mother to child transmission
Extracted from the UNICEF update from the First Zimbabwean National AIDS Conference June 15-18, 2004
June 16, 2004

The uptake of the prevention of mother to child transmission programme remains an enormous challenge in the AIDS fight and men have been encouraged to be supportive of the initiative. These were sentiments raised by participants during a presentation on Prevention of Parent to Child Transmission (PPCT).

The National Technical Coordinator, Dr Agnes Mahomva said prevention of mother to child transmission is critical and a public health priority in Zimbabwe. Dr Mahomva defined PMTCT as the use of interventions before and during pregnancy, as well as during labour and delivery in attempts to reduce HIV transmission rates to the infant. This risk of transmission is high during pregnancy, labour and delivery, and when breastfeeding.

"Over 90 percent of HIV infection in children due to mother to child transmission," said Dr Mahomva. "The overall transmission rate in breastfeeding populations such as Zimbabwe is estimated to be about 33 percent."

The Ministry of Health and Child Welfare together with its partners began the PMTCT programme in 1999 as a pilot project and to date there are more than 100 health institutions that now provide these services. However, the bone of contention by some AIDS activists is that men were not supporting the PMTCT programme.

"Men are not coming out to support their pregnant wives. They claim that they feel intimidated by the largely female environment at prenatal clinics," said Miriam Zimbizi, coordinator of the Mufudzi Wakanaka home based care progamme in Mhondoro. "There is a need for men to come out of their shells and support their women through the whole process. Men must be told that because of anti retroviral treatment, there is hope of a better life for them and the child." All agreed that much more needs to be done to make prenatal clinics more "male friendly."

Please credit www.kubatana.net if you make use of material from this website. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License unless stated otherwise.

TOP