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Background.
An important component of the fight against HIV in children below 15 years, is the program for
prevention of mother to child transmission (PMTCT), which includes routine HIV counseling
and testing for all pregnant women, anti-retroviral (ARV) prophylaxis and treatment for mother
and children, safer delivery practices, counseling and support for safer infant feeding
practices, family planning and long term follow-up care for HIV positive mothers and
exposed children.
Mother to child transmission of HIV has been observed to be the biggest challenge in developing
countries where there's scarcity of resources (Volmink & Marais,2008).In 2010, around
390,000 children under 15 became infected with HIV, mainly through mother-to-child
transmission. (UNAIDS 2011). Update using the most recent.
For this reason, it is important to assess the outcomes of the Prevention of Mother to
Child Transmission (PMTCT) programs in Tanzania.
Objectives.
To assess the outcomes of PMTCT in pregnant women delivered at KCMC in 2014.
Methodology.
This will be retrospective cross-sectional study using aggregate data reported to PMTCT registry
in the labor ward and CCFC unit from January 2014 to December 2014.
Results.
112 women out of 2748 women who delivered at KCMC from January to September were HIV
positive. Majority delivered by normal delivery (67%) and had no any delivery complication
(91%). Most of the children delivered to these women were delivered at term (76.8%), with
normal birth weight (58.9%) and normal score and with no any malformation. MTCT rate was
4.5%. Majority of children who had contracted HIV were delivered by women who did not get a
complete prophylaxis (100%) and did not practice exclusive breastfeeding (80%).
Conclusion.
PMTCT when followed and used effectively has a positive impact on maternal and child health.
Efforts should be made to community so as they can have knowledge on the importance and how
to prevent MTCT. |
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