Healthcare workers’ efforts to guide HIV-positive pregnant women on how to control transmission to their children have reduced infection rate in Kirinyaga to two per cent.
Health county executive Gladys Kimingi said the rate would have been higher if control programmes were not initiated.
“The programme has been a success story and has seen mother-to-child transmissions reduced to two per cent. Without the programme, transmission rates could go up to 35 per cent,” she said.
Kimingi said the programme has succeeded because the mothers are dedicated to following all the guidelines provided to care for their babies.
“The mothers have been able to breastfeed and wean their babies without risking their health and we are happy that these children are healthy and can live just like other children since they were protected from contracting the virus,” she said.
More than 170 children have graduated from the HIV-Exposed Infants programme.
The two-year programme was meant to protect them from contracting the virus from their mothers.
The graduation event was held last weekend across all the subcounties to commend the mothers who safely breastfeed and weaned their babies.
The event was also used to create awareness of prevention of HIV, use of prophylactics and gender-based violence. It was carried out by the Department of Health as a curtain-raiser for the World Aids Day commemoration on Tuesday.
Kimingi said the mothers will move from the Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission programme to the Comprehensive Care programme.
They will continue receiving care and monitoring for infections which can be well managed if detected in good time.
Kirinyaga Governor Anne Waiguru said her administration is keen on the provision of quality health care services to all the county residents.
Waiguru said the administration’s HIV management interventions were producing the desired outcomes.
She said prevention of mother-to-child transmission programmes have brought new hope to HIV positive mothers who desire to have children. They no longer have to fear infecting their babies.
“Such programmes have also reduced stigma among HIV positive mothers since they no longer have to face harsh judgment from people who would question why they didn’t breastfeed their babies,” the governor said.
Waiguru asked residents o embrace people living with HIV. Current intervention measures and treatment have enabled HIV positive people to lead normal lives, with some of them getting to zero viral loads, she added.
