Dominica is reporting a rate of success in eliminating mother to child transmission of the deadly disease, HIV.
Coordinator of the National HIV/AIDS Response Unit, Julie Frampton, said the success rate has been seen within the last ten years or more.
“We have had no seroconversion, meaning that all the women that test positive for HIV during pregnancy were managed and the infants are all negative,” she said. “So we know that treatment works. So we do not want any women testing positive during pregnancy, far less to have a child confirmed positive.”
She noted that while she does not know if cases fell through the cracks “those we know of we’ve managed them adequately.”
“So we want to keep it like that,” she said. “So we really looking forward to be able to eliminate mother to child transmission or being one of the first countries in the region to say we successfully eliminated mother to child transmission of HIV and Congenital Syphilis.”
Last week a workshop was held at the Old Acute Psychiatric Unit (APU) Building at the Princess Margaret Hospital (PMH) to update midwives “to be able to better identify and manage women who test positive for HIV during pregnancy as well as how to manage the exposed infants of these mothers,” according to Frampton.
“The region is looking to eliminate mother to child transmission of HIV and Congenital Syphilis and we in Dominica are no exception,” she said.
All of us in every field who care about families are happy to hear of the progress being made in eliminating mother to baby transmission of the HIV virus and congenital syphilis.
It appears hard work being done in Dominica is paying off. Gains made in Dominica benefit the rest of the world. Congratulations to all in Dominica and other places who have contributed to this advance. Thank you Julie Frampton. Thank you DNO for making this known to those of us in Canada and other nations.
There is a way yet to go. But Nothing is more encouraging than to hear of this progress being made for mothers and babies.
Please continue to fight the good fight
Sincerely, Rev. Donald Hill. International Evangelist.
The effectiveness of treating the mothers to prevent transmission has been known, and proven by many studies. In the US, at least in NJ, every pregnant woman is tested for HIV in the first and third trimester. It may be a bit costly for us in DA, but its definitely worth it.
That is exactly what we do here. Thank you
Zandoli you are very wrong. Mid-wives deliver babies in and out of the hospital. And I am not talking about DA only. It happens around the world. Get your facts straight before you write. I am not asking you, I am telling you that this happens..
Now why would they even consider allowing a midwife to deliver a baby if the mother is infected with HIV?
I would have thought that would be done in a hospital under medical supervision.
Zandoli u retarded, is not midwives that delivering babies at de hospital? Smh in amazement at your simplicity.
Whoever you are (?), midwives do not deliver babies in hospitals where I live. They deliver babies in non-hospital settings.