Date: 1 December 2009
Source: IRIN PlusNews
In a bid to reduce the rate of HIV transmission from mother to child, Uganda will give all pregnant women highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), rather than single-dose Nevirapine currently used in much of Africa. The Government also commits to increasing access to early infant HIV testing and treatment. A recent Ugandan study of 1,829 women found a 1.7% infection rate among infants born to mothers who received HAART during pregnancy, compared with 11.8% among infants whose mothers received single-dose Nevirapine, and 3.7% and 5.0% percent of those who received two types of combination therapy. The scale-up comes as WHO unveiled its new HIV recommendations promoting the use of antiretrovirals (ARVs) earlier in pregnancy, starting at 14 weeks and continuing through to the end of breastfeeding. Breastfeeding should continue until the infant is one year old provided the HIV-positive mother or baby is taking ARVs. Uganda faces a huge challenge - it is estimated that currently 50,000 children and infants in Uganda need ART, but only 17,000 are receiving it. Funding uncertainties could hamper the government's plans and the US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) could be cutting as much as US$1 million over the next year.
