Elimination of Mother-to-Child Transmission : Ghana makes strides
The Human Immune Virus (HIV) and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS), popularly referred to as HIV/AIDS, continues to send millions of people globally to their graves. Many attempts by scientists and health experts to find a cure have not been that successful.
Scientists and health practitioners are still working around the clock to come out with an antidote that will be able to cure HIV/AIDS.
HIV/AIDS is among the dangerous diseases known to man.
Finding a cure for HIV/AIDS has been a fervent wish on the hearts of many people worldwide for several decades.
As the adage goes: “Half a loaf is better than none”; scientists and health practitioners in their wisdom to at least stop the spread of HIV/AIDS have introduced varied practical mechanisms including Condom use, Abstinence, and Being faithful to your partner, christened as “ABC love,” to help fight the disease.
In spite of the successes the ‘ABC love’ strategy has chalked up, scientists and health experts are still increasing efforts and research to tackle the disease at various areas. One of such great move towards tackling the deadly disease is to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV/AIDS.
Mother-to-child
The World Health Organisation (WHO) defines “mother-to-child transmission of HIV/AIDS” as the transmission of HIV from an HIV-positive mother to her child during pregnancy, labour, delivery or breastfeeding.
According to the WHO, in the absence of any interventions, transmission rates range from 15 to 45 per cent but “this rate can be reduced to levels below five per cent with effective interventions.”
The global community has committed itself to accelerating progress for the prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission (PMTCT) through an initiative with the goal to eliminate new paediatric HIV infections by 2015 and improve maternal, newborn and child survival and health in the context of HIV.
Ghana statistics
The country’s national HIV prevalence in 2014, according to the Ghana Aids Commission (GAC), the highest decision making body on HIV/AIDS, is 2.0 per cent.
In 2014, an estimated 250,232 persons, made up of 229,009 adults and 21,223 children (8 per cent), were living with HIV in Ghana.
There were 11,356 new infections, 1,889 in children 0-14 years and 9,467 in adults.
There were 9,248 AIDS deaths, 1,295 in children 0-14 years and 7,953 adults.
An estimated 17,656 mothers will need PMTCT services.
Global intervention
The global plan towards the elimination of new HIV Infections among children by 2015 and keeping their mothers alive was launched in 2011. Since then, there has been an increase in advocacy, development of new tools and commitments for the Elimination of Mother-to-Child Transmission (EMTCT) of HIV and an improvement of maternal health.
Besides the EMTCT, the WHO also launched an initiative for the global elimination of congenital syphilis in 2007, following which there has been progress in increasing access to syphilis testing and treatment for pregnant women.
Declaration
On Tuesday, June 30, 2015, Cuba became the first country to be validated by the WHO to have eliminated mother-to-child transmission of HIV and syphilis.
Cuba’s achievement in eliminating MTC was considered by the WHO as a major step in fighting HIV/AIDS in the world.
"Eliminating the transmission of a virus is one of the greatest public health achievements possible," Dr Margaret Chan, the Director-General of WHO, is quoted to have said.
In addition, she said, "This is a major victory in our long fight against HIV and sexually transmitted infections, and an important step towards having an AIDS-free generation."
It is significant to mention that in Cuba, less than two per cent of children whose mothers have HIV are born with the virus, the lowest rate possible with prevention methods available today.
On Monday, November 17, 2014, the United States National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) published the interim results of a study dubbed: “Promoting Maternal-Infant Survival Everywhere (PROMISE)”.
The PROMISE study aims to determine how best to safely reduce the risk of HIV transmission from infected pregnant women to their babies during pregnancy and after delivery and assure the benefits of antiretroviral therapy (ART) for the health of the mother.
Initiated in 2010, the study has enrolled more than 3,500 HIV-infected pregnant or post-partum women in India, Malawi, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Efforts
Addressing a durbar in Sunyani, the Brong Ahafo Regional capital, to mark this year’s world AIDS day, the Chief of Staff, Mr Julius Debrah, said the country would now focus resources on children and ensure that they get access to services that would help prevent and manage HIV in the nation’s bid to attain a generation free of infection.
He said the country was recognised for its achievements in reducing new infections among children, adding that through collaborative efforts to eliminate mother-to-child transmission of HIV, 81 per cent of pregnant women, targeted over the period 2011 to 2015, were reached with anti-retroviral medicines to prevent transmission of HIV to their babies.
Mr Debrah said through collective efforts, the country achieved a decline in HIV prevalence from 3.6 per cent in 2003 to 1.47 per cent in 2014.
He said in spite of the success chalked up, the coverage translated into only 47 per cent of all estimated pregnancies nationwide, adding that over the next five years, we needed to ensure that a lot more pregnant women are reached and know their HIV status.
He, however, expressed the worry that the gains the country was making in eliminating mother-to-child transmission of the disease was being reversed during the breast-feeding period when the babies got infected because their mothers were not on effective treatment.
It is, therefore, important for us as a country and individually to support any activity that is meant to fight mother-to-child transmission of HIV/AIDS to ensure HIV/AIDS free generation.
Writer’s email: zadokgee89@yahoo.com