HIV/AIDS

CBC hospital tries new option in mother to child transmission prevention
By Njodzefe Nestor in Bamenda
The Cameroon Baptist Convention Health Services through the HIV-Free North West and South West Project is piloting the implementation of the Test and Treat Option called Option B+ in the fight against HIV/AIDS especially the prevention of mother to child transmission, PMTCT.
    This was disclosed at a one day workshop held recently at the Baptist Centre, Bamenda by officials of the HIV-Free North West and South West Project.
    The workshop that brought together close to 200 journalists was aimed to drill the media men and women to promote community mobilization on the importance of attending Antenatal Clinics by pregnant women and the uptake of Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV.
    Statistics from the World Health Organization, WHO, indicate that, 90 percent of children infected with HIV in Sub-Saharan Africa are through mother-to-child transmission. 

    According to Edith Lem, coordinator of the B+ Option of the project, the option is one of WHO’s Anti-Retroviral Treatment, ART strategies for the Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission.
    She explained that it offers all pregnant or breast feeding women living with HIV, life-long antiretroviral therapy, rather than relying on laboratory testing to determine eligibility for treatment.
    She continued that not only can Option B+ remarkably reduce mother-to-child transmission of HIV to less than five percent, it also maintains the mother's health, provides life-long reduction of HIV transmission to uninfected sexual partners, and supports PMTCT in future pregnancies.
    It is worth noting that Cameroon adopted the new guide lines for Option B+ in 2013 because of its efficacy but is yet to implement it in its fight against HIV/AIDS.
Pundits have been quick to observe that the giant step taken by CBCHS in piloting the option is a welcome initiative as this approach offers all HIV-positive pregnant women life-long antiretroviral therapy, regardless of their clinical stage or CD4 count, thus streamlining the PMTCT process.
    This pilot Phase which targets about 600 women for a period of 18 months has the drugs readily available with peer educators already trained and put in place to manage and follow up defaulters. The project funded by the US President’s Emergency Plan for Aids Relief, PEPFAR has as goal reaching 90 percent of pregnant women and HIV exposed infants by 2016 in the project areas.
    During the seminar journalists were empowered to sensitize and mobilize the population of the North West on the need to ensure the prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV, especially because most pregnant women do not know their HIV status.
    The Project Manager of the HIV-Free North West and South West, Kuni Esther challenged journalists to educate the population especially those at the local settings on the importance of consulting Antenatal Clinics by pregnant women and the need for each household to know their HIV status. Men were also urged to accompany their wives to the clinics.
    It should be noted that the efforts of the HIV-Free North West and South West project in preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV has been lauded in several quarters. 
    In September 2013, the coordinator of the Office of the Global AIDS USA, Ambassador Eric Goosby commended the efforts of the project. He was in Cameroon to evaluate the situation of funding of anti-HIV/AIDS projects, especially the US President’s Emergency Plan for Aids Relief.