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A South African health program
providing free antiretrovirals (ARVs) to expectant mothers to prevent perinatal
HIV transmission has saved upwards of 70,000 children annually, officials
report.
Avi Violari, a pediatrician at
Soweto’s Chris Hani Baragwanath hospital, said pregnant women are tested at
antenatal clinics, and if they are HIV-positive, “We do a lot of intensive
counseling ... and we offer to give treatment during pregnancy.”
Through the “Prevention of Mother-to-Child-Transmission”
(PMTCT) program, HIV-positive mothers receive free ARVs during pregnancy, after
birth, and sometimes during labor. Newborns also receive a small ARV dose to
help stave off infection.
The national government for years
resisted giving ARVs to HIV-positive expectant women, but in 2002 the
Constitutional Court ordered their free distribution to mothers-to-be with the
virus. The program has since expanded beyond pregnant women to serve 1.3
million people, becoming the largest effort of its kind in the world. It has
greatly benefitted this developing nation, where half of the 50 million
residents live on less than US $2 per day, and nearly 6 million people have
HIV/AIDS.
Unfortunately, children sometimes
develop resistance to ARVs their mothers received while pregnant, and they risk
HIV exposure via breastfeeding. Since 2010, the country has advocated that
mothers exclusively breastfeed initially, as mother’s milk is thought to better
protect against diseases, said Theresa Rossouw, South Africa’s chief HIV
doctor.
PMTCT’s success has been lauded
internationally. “PMTCT program is a flagship of the South African government,”
said Dr. Thapelo Maotoe of USAID, which has donated upwards of $3.3 billion to
South African HIV/AIDS treatment since 2004.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is
dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and
empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV
virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
