Prevention of mother to child transmission programmes

prevention of mother to child transmission  programmes (PMTCT)
 provide antiretrovial treatment (ART)  to stop their infants from
acquiringthe virus. PMTCT should also continue after an infant has
been born. HIV can be transmitted  from an HIV positive woman to
her child during pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding.

Mother to child transmission is also referred to as vertical transmission
Prevention of mother to child transmission provide antiretroviral treatment
to HIV positive pregnant women to stop their infants from acquiring the
virus. World Health Organisation 2013 guidelines recommended that a woman
living with HIV only continue on ART after breast feeding if it would benefit her
own health.

ART reduces the risk of mother to child transmission to below 5%. Women are
advised to exclusively breastfeed provided they are on ART. Formula feeding
offers the safest option for postnatal HIV prevention. If the infants test positive
for HIV they should be immediately initiated on treatment.  The treatment
should be linked to the mothers course of ARV's and would  vary according
to the infant feeding method as follows.

Breastfeeding- the infant should receive once- daily nevirapine from birth
 for six weeks. Replacement feeding- the infant should receive once- daily
nevirapine from birth for four to six weeks. It is recognised that  the risk
of HIV transmission  to children is higher for mixed breastfeeding  than for
exclusive breastfeeding.

Kavulavu Gladwell Jagona

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