Posts
Pregnant women in Kenya are giving
birth to HIV-infected babies either because they do not know their HIV status
or they are avoiding the hospitals. Stigma and discrimination are driving their
behaviors. At a recent forum in Nairobi, on mother-to-child HIV transmission,
Dr. William Maina, head of Kenya’s National AIDS/STD Control Program (Nascop),
said that in spite of the country’s great improvements in the fight against
HIV, stigmatization is still a challenge. People with the disease are frowned
upon, and, as a result, the fear keeps women away from the hospital.
An estimated 13,000 women give birth
to HIV positive babies annually, a decrease from approximately 23,000 in 2007.
The reduction is due to the government’s efforts to strengthen prevention of
mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) services offered in the country. PMTCT
services are available at approximately 5,000 private and public health
facilities and are free at public hospitals. Also, pregnant women who go to the
hospital for delivery or attend a prenatal clinic are given the HIV test. If
the result is positive, they are counseled and encouraged to attend clinics.
Maina noted that only about 67 percent of pregnant women who know their status
fully attend prenatal clinics. Many women avoid the clinics and hospital and
resort to traditional birth attendants or deliver in poorly equipped health
centers. Without treatment or proper counseling, mothers may transmit the
disease to the infant in the womb, during the birth process, or when breastfeeding.
Mercy Achieng, an HIV positive woman
who mentors HIV-positive pregnant women, explained that stigmatization is a
major hindrance to the country’s goal to eliminate perinatal transmission of
HIV. She noted that the discrimination is worse for pregnant women, and it
begins with the family. Also, at the hospital, some nurses stigmatize patients,
abuse them, and make negative comments. As a result, the women may choose not
return to the hospital or clinic. In addition, violence against women and
poverty contribute to mother-to-child HIV infections. Women are unable to
negotiate condom use with their husbands or make them go for an HIV test, and
many men who know their status do not inform their wives. Some women breastfeed
their infants because they cannot afford to buy formula, and thus may pass the
disease to a baby that was born healthy.
Kenya aims to eliminate perinatal
HIV transmission by 2015. Toward this end, the country recently launched a
program called Elimination of Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV.
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!
