Prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV infection (PMTCT)

Pregnant mothers who are diagnosed HIV positive have a high chance of transmitting HIV infection to their newborn babies during pregnancy, labor and delivery and during breastfeeding. Once a newborn baby is born with HIV infection, he/she remains HIV positive for life and has to be under the care of an HIV specialist doctor and take medicines lifelong. Without treatment,50% of babies born with HIV will die by two to three years of age. The aim of this project is to test all the pregnant mothers for HIV with their consent . Those that are diagnosed HIV positive are given emotional and supportive counseling and started on Anti Retroviral Treatment (ART) as soon as possible in their pregnancy. This ART is continued during pregnancy, labor, delivery, breastfeeding and lifelong so that the mothers are alive and well to look after their babies. The babies also receive treatment for six to twelve weeks and are tested for HIV periodically till the breastfeeding is stopped. This program is very effective and around 98% of babies will be born HIV negative.

1. Test all pregnant mothers for HIV infection with their consent.
2. Counsel and emotionally support those pregnant mothers who are diagnosed HIV positive.
3. Start them on treatment with Antiretroviral treatment (ART) as soon as possible during the pregnancy after adequate counselling
4. Help them deliver in hospitals and provide delivery subsidies for those mothers who are poor.
5. Test the newborn baby at six weeks, six months, one year and one and a half years to be sure the baby is HIV negative.

By doing the above, the HIV-positive pregnant mothers will deliver HIV-negative newborn babies who have a normal healthy life ahead of them and who can have a normal childhood, adolescence and adulthood ahead of them and who can contribute to a healthy vibrant India. This way mother to Child Transmission of HIV can be eliminated in our country and by that even Pediatric HIV in India can be eliminated because around 90% of children below the age of 15 years who are HIV positive have got it from their mothers during the mothers pregnancy and this can be prevented by ART treatment in pregnancy.