Title of project: Preventing mother-to-child HIV transmission

Location: Bukoba

The situation

This is the East African country with the highest growth (6.9% in 2005), but, like a certain number of African countries, poverty is not declining. The HIV prevalence rate is one factor responsible for this failure. Around 7% of the adult mainland population lives with HIV and antenatal consultations have shown prevalence rates between 5% and 15% in certain regions, even if these rates have definitely fallen in the last ten years. The number of AIDS orphans now stands at nearly 2 million.

Activities:

The programme for preventing mother-to-foetus transmission of HIV has 3 aspects to it:

• training hospital staff;

• monitoring women during pregnancy: screening, prescribing AZT, information on transmission by breast-feeding;

• monitoring women and their babies after delivery.

Outlook:

Continue to transfer all activities to Bukoba regional hospital. Strengthen the assistance aimed at HIV-positive mothers so that they can continue to benefit from ARV treatments.

Project start date: August 2002

Transfer date: June 2005