Working for Women Worldwide - Embassy of the United States

Success Story
One Child at a Time
Reducing HIV/AIDS Transmission
Nearly 800,000 babies per year—
most of them in sub-Saharan Africa
—are infected with HIV as a result
of transmission of the virus from the
pregnant mother to the child.
OUnder President Bush’s Emergency Plan for AIDS
Relief, the United States is at the forefront of the
effort to reach HIV-infected pregnant women so they
can give birth to healthy babies. This is a story about
how U.S. HIV/AIDS initiatives are bringing hope to
mothers in many countries, one child at a time.
Alzira Mendes went to the Munhava health center
in her neighborhood in Mozambique’s port city of
Beira, Sofala Province, in February 2003 for her first
antenatal checkup. A 29-year-old widow, Alzira was
six months pregnant with her third child. During her
visit, the nurses gave her information about HIV and
about a new program to prevent mother-to-child
transmission funded by the President’s Emergency
Plan.
Alzira had heard about HIV before this visit. In
2002, overall HIV prevalence in Sofala was 26.5 percent,
but prevalence among pregnant women in Beira
ranged from 27 to 35 percent. Alzira had never been
tested, but she decided it was important for her and
her baby to know about her HIV status.
While nurse Flora Vaz administered an HIV
test, she counseled Alzira about HIV transmission and
prevention, as well as the significance of the test.
Nurse Vaz had Alzira’s results within a short time.
Upon hearing that she was HIV positive, Alzira’s
first thought was for her baby: Could she prevent the
transmission of HIV to her child? Nurse Vaz
explained that to reduce the chance of transmitting
HIV to a child, an HIV-positive woman should come
to the maternity ward upon the onset of labor and take
nevirapine, a drug used in HIV treatment. The baby
also should receive one dose of nevirapine within 72
hours of birth. Alzira was happy to enter this program
to improve the health of her baby. Nurse Vaz also
referred Alzira to the Day Hospital at the Beira
Central Hospital, which provides care and treatment
for HIV-positive persons.
During the final three months of her pregnancy,
Alzira participated in a “Positive Mothers” group at
the Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission
program in Munhava. During weekly meetings,
Alzira and other HIV-positive pregnant women
received information and counseling about breastfeeding,
nutrition, preparing food for their babies,
social constraints when living with HIV, stigma, and
the importance of having their partners tested.
Participants also received food supplements.
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