BASIC SERVICES
☛ Prevention of Parent to Child Transmission of HIV (PPTCT)
- HIV infection in a pregnant mother can be transmitted to her baby during pregnancy, delivery and breastfeeding.
- All pregnant women should be screened for HIV during pregnancy as early as possible (First Trimester).
- The HIV infected pregnant and breastfeeding woman should start multidrug ART regimen at the earliest. This improves her health outcomes and prevents transmission of HIV to baby.
- The multi-drug ART has the potential to dramatically reduce the HIV transmission from mother to baby to less than 5% as opposed to 15-45% in the absence of any interventions.
☛ EID – Early Infant Diagnosis
- A special blood test for HIV diagnosis (RNA PCR test) is undertaken for all babies born to HIV infected mothers at 6 weeks (Dried Blood Spot), 6 months and 12 months (Antibody Testing & Dried Blood Spot).
- All infants born to HIV infected mothers are given Syrup Nevirapine from birth till 6 weeks / 12weeks.
- Confirmatory testing for HIV antibody in the baby is done at 18 months of age.
- All babies born to HIV infected women are put on prophylactic treatment (syrup co-trimoxazole) to avoid opportunistic infections from 6weeks of age till 18 months/ 5years depending on baby’s HIV status.
- A baby detected HIV positive is immediately started on Antiretroviral Treatment at the ART centre.