Touching Tiny Lives Foundation - Preventing Mother-to-Child Infection

Preventing Mother-to-Child HIV/AIDS Transmission

In its efforts to combat pediatric HIV/AIDS in Lesotho, TTL’s newest program seeks to keep children free of the virus by preventing its transmission from HIV-positive mothers. The prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) is a critical strategy for curbing the pandemic’s impact - but is practically non-existent within the Mokhotlong and Thaba-Tseka districts. As such, TTL is excited to be expanding its PMTCT efforts.

As HIV can be transmitted during birth and breastfeeding, TTL’s program strategy addresses medical, social, and material needs of local women.

First, dedicated TTL staff conduct outreach and education services seeking to inform pregnant women of the risk of transmission. To date, education about mother-to-child transmission has been minimal in the region, especially in the rural villages. Most women do not know that they can transmit HIV to their child.

Second, outreach staff test pregnant women for HIV and counsel them on the risk of transmission, disclosing their positive status, and pursuing antiretroviral treatment (ART) for themselves. This often takes place in the privacy of a woman's home, which is key to combating community stigma.

Third, women are encouraged to take a single-dose regimen of Nevirapine, an antiretroviral (ARV) medication during delivery. One dose is given to the mother at the induction of labor, and another to the infant within 72 hours of

birth. This regimen, costing only $5.00, reduces the risk of HIV transmission by 47 percent (source: BIPAI HIV Curriculum for the Health Professional). As many women birth within their homes--and rural clinics in the Mokhotlong and Thaba-Tseka do not have Nevirapine readily available--TTL arranges transportation and logistics for women to deliver at local hospitals and obtain the ARV. In 2008, TTL will serve as a national test site for "Nevirapine kits" for at-home deliveries.

Lastly, TTL aims to prevent transmission during breastfeeding by providing mothers with infant formula. In an effort to prevent contamination harmful to infants, TTL gives families sanitation materials, storage containers, paraffin oil, and stoves for boiling water. Staff also continues to monitor feeding practices and the child’s healthy development.

Touching Tiny Lives Foundations