BIG

WORRY

by CAROL-ANN TUDOR

THE NUMBER OF REPEAT PREGNANCIES among women affected with HIV/AIDS is causing great concern for health officials.

Though there have been no mother to child HIV/AIDS transmissions in the last three years, some infected women are having as many as three to four pregnancies after being diagnosed and some have not been compliant with follow-up care.

Consultant paediatrician Dr. Anne St John revealed this yesterday at the launch of the policy on Prevention of Mother To Child Transmission (PMTCT) at United Nation House.

"The mothers are supposed to come back to the clinic and if they do not we call them to find out why not and follow it up. They must bring their babies because they have a right to care and protection," she stated.

St John also lamented that many of the women did not disclose to their partners that they were infected with the virus.

She spoke of one incident where there had been a late diagnosis

"We have had one woman who was not infected in the first trimester but somehow along the way she had another partner and was infected later in her pregnancy and things like these cause late detections."

St John said over the last 15 years, documentation had revealed that there was a steady number of pregnant women in the early years, "then there was an alarming rise of 36 deliveries per year in 1999, followed by a gradual decrease in the trend, but in 2006 we had 39 pregnant women who delivered."

St John said that although there had been a reduction in transmission, she revealed that from 1996 to 2000 there were 151 pregnant women with 153 infants being born.

Between 2001 to 2002, there were 72 infected mothers and 75 infants which showed only a reduction at the time of 8 per cent.

She said however things had changed for the positive after the free introduction of AZT to all infected individuals.

"From the time of diagnosis any pregnant woman who is infected is referred to the QEH Antenatal clinic or followed up by a private obstetrician or referred to the Ladymeade clinic or an HIV specialist as her options for ongoing counselling."

She said in an effort to ensure that the children were not infected, some women were given caesarians if the infection rate was too high, while the child was given anti-retroviral therapy (ART) within 24 hours of birth, given breast feeding substitutes, specific paediatric follow ups, and a dedicated public health nurse/midwife to keep track of mother and child.