Andrew
Online Reporter
Zimbabwe has recorded a 50 percent decline in women seeking antenatal care, resulting in over 5 000 new cases of mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of HIV last year.
The drop was attributed to the disruption of services due to the Covid-19 induced lockdowns.
Speaking at a National Aids Council (NAC) media workshop in Chinhoyi on Tuesday, Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission (PMTCT) officer in the Ministry of Health and Child Care, Ms Rumbi Mugwagwa, said the new cases have been mainly triggered by women who have never taken antiretroviral treatment (ART).
Women who had defaulted treatment also contributed to new cases.
“The country has seen a sharp decrease, to an estimated 250 000 women seeking antenatal care from around 400 000, which has resulted in 5 113 new cases of MTCT of HIV in 2020” she said.
“The main drivers of the increase have been women who have never been on ART, or those who defaulted, or those who started ART late because of disruption of services due to Covid-19.”
Ms Mugwagwa said the country seeks to reduce MTCT to 5 percent by 2022, which translates to about 3 000 cases.
Online Reporter