Tanzania steps up action to reduce mother-to-child HIV transmission

Geita District pharmacist Joseph Ntebe (standing) contributes on a discussion about availability of medical supplies in the district, during a meeting held in Geita to deliberate maternal health services. The meeting was organised by a Mwanza-based NGO THAT/Afya radio which is implementing maternal health projects in Geita, Nyamagana anda Ilemela districts. PHOTO|CORRESPONDENT


By Henry Mwangonde The Citizen Correspondent


IN SUMMARY

He added that it is estimated that about 40,000 babies would get infected with HIV this year alone through mother to child transmission if there is no intervention.



Dar es Salaam. The government is embarking on a campaign aimed at reducing the mother-to-child HIV transmission rate from the current 15 per cent to 5 per cent by next year.

The minister for Health and Social Welfare, Dr Seif Rashid, made the remarks yesterday in the city during the National Elimination of Mother to Child Transmission dialogue organised by Wama.

He said the government has revised the then national strategy for Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV (National PMTCT Scale Up Plan 2008-2012) and developed the national plan for Elimination of Mother-to-Child transmission of HIV (EMTCT 2012-2015) realigning it with the new global vision of eliminating vertical HIV prevention by 2015.

“I hereby reaffirm to you that prevention of HIV is the cornerstone of response towards the epidemic and that as a government we are committed to eliminate mother to child transmission of HIV and substantially reduce Aids related maternal deaths,” said Dr Rashid.

The recent findings by the Tanzania and Malaria Indicator Survey of 2012 show that about 1.5 million people (5.1 per cent) of adults and 230,000 children under the age of 15 in Tanzania live with HIV and more than 80,000 new infections occur each year while out of those new infections figures 17 per cent are caused by mother to child transmission.

The minister said the fact that 1.8 million pregnancies occurs every year in the country and that 7 per cent of these mothers are presumed to be living with HIV, translates that over 100,000 unborn babies are at risk of acquiring HIV with an average rate of transmission being 35 per cent.

He added that it is estimated that about 40,000 babies would get infected with HIV this year alone through mother to child transmission if there is no intervention.

In her speech Wama chairperson, First Lady Salma Kikwete, said Tanzania became a member of the Organisation of African First Ladies Against Aids (Oafla) to put in coordinated efforts of fighting the pandemic in Africa.

She said the introduction of the Elimination of Mother to Child HIV Transmission intervention has helped to reduce the malpractice due to the fact 93 per cent of health centres offers HIV related services and that and that 98 per cent of expected mothers visit hospitals at least once.