adminCatherine Murombedzi
CUBA is the only World Health Organisation certified country to have eliminated mother-to-child HIV transmission. “This is one of the greatest public health achievements possible,” said WHO director general, Margaret Chan in July this year. Zimbabwe is scaling its efforts to be in the same boat with Cuba. The country through the Ministry of Health and Child Care and partners like Elizabeth Glaser Paediatric AIDS Foundation (EGPAF) maintain that: “Until no child has AIDS.”
EGPAF provides direct support to 1 495 sites in 62 districts in Zimbabwe. This represents 96 percent coverage of the total 1 560 sites that provide ante natal care.
The prevention from mother to child (PMTCT) programme by EGPAF began in 2001 and has seen its strategic policy of eliminating new HIV infections in children and keeping mothers alive, (2011 -2015) marking an era last week in Harare where over 300 people converged with the Minister of Health and Child Care, Dr David Parirenyatwa applauding the organisation.
UNAIDS Country Director, Michel Bartos, said there was still a lot to be done. “Yes, today the country celebrates a milestone in PMTCT as we have seen that with leadership commitment it can be done. I still stress that more work needs to be done if no child is to be born with the HIV virus,” said Mr Bartos.
EGPAF thanked its funding partner Children’s Investment Fund Foundation for realising the same dream as them that no child must be born with HIV and to keep their mothers alive. The organisation supports ante-natal clinics with quality anti retroviral therapy, paediatric services and has been pivotal in the roll out plan of Option B+.
“Option B+ is a life-long support mechanism to any HIV positive pregnant mother or breastfeeding mother. In the past a single dose tablet of nevirapine was used by the mother when labour kicked off but now we have highly efficacious regimens that the mother takes for life. These help prevent the passing on of the HIV virus from mother to child when in the womb, at delivery or when breast feeding,” said Dr Agnes Mahomva, EGPAF country director.
Dr Angela Mushavi, PMTCT co-ordinator in the Ministry of Health and Child Care, said the country could eliminate mother to child HIV transmission.
“When this programme started we aimed at having 12 percent of babies born carrying the HIV virus, but today we are proud to say working with EGPAF this has gone down and the rate from mother to child transmission is now 6.8 percent. We can go below five percent and have seen that eliminating HIV in paediatrics is possible. Cuba has eliminated mother to child HIV infection and WHO has certified that. As a country, Zimbabwe is working towards elimination of HIV infection in children and it is possible. Until no child has AIDS can we say we have done it,” said Dr Mushavi at the same function.
Most developed countries now have recorded zero infection from mother to child and Zimbabwe strives to join this bandwagon. It is possible to end AIDS, it begins with you it begins with me.
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