Posts
While the methods for preventing
mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV are well-known and highly
effective, the process begins with an HIV test. And according to March data
from the National Committee for the Fight Against AIDS, roughly one in five
Cameroonian women who attend prenatal checkups refuse such testing.
This June, UNICEF’s Cameroon office
published figures showing the HIV rate among pregnant women in the central
African country is 7.6 percent. Nearly two-thirds of pregnant women do not
receive prenatal care, UNICEF said. Further, many women go to private clinics
or small birthing centers in poor areas rather than public health centers where
PMTCT is more routinely offered.
To protect the babies of women who
decline testing, “We have firm instructions,” said Dr. Emilien Fouda, director
of the public hospital in the Cité-Verte district of Yaoundé. “In the birthing
room, we systematically screen all women whose HIV status is unknown and
immediately administer PMTCT if necessary.”
Organizations like No Limit For
Women work to combat these challenges by educating women in the community about
PMTCT. “We try to reach as many women as possible by taking part in meetings of
various women’s associations. We urge these women to go to public hospitals and
stay in touch with them by means of home visits,” said Odette Etamè, the
group’s president. Women who know they have HIV and want to have children but
have concerns also are a target.
“The plan is to create at least one
community support group in each of Cameroon’s 179 health districts,” said
Etamè, thanks to funding assistance from the national health ministry, Care
International, and UNICEF. “This is already under way in some districts, but it
is not yet in effect everywhere,” she noted.
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!
