Programs - Prevention and Care Projects

Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission (PMTCT)

In Kenya, 1.3 million adults and 100,000 children are currently infected with HIV. Majority of the infected adults living are in rural poor areas. WEMIHS PMTCT program targets  the rural areas and the slums of larger Thika district, Kenya which has for years presented one of the highest HIV prevalence rates in central province i.e.; from 34% in 2000 to a significant reduction of 9.1% (KNASP, 2006).

While we acknowledge the efforts and accomplishments made in fighting HIV and AIDS, the general experience in the district and across the country is that several gaps continue to frustrate accessibility to prevention, care and support services with particular concern regarding women accessibility to a wide range of services that include PMTCT.  Even though majority of Kenyan women use maternal health services, these women seek antenatal care relatively late in pregnancy hence making it difficult to provide adequate measures in preventing pregnancy and child birth complications and adequate PMTCT interventions.  This scenario leads to 1 in every 25 births being at risk of dying from maternal related complications.  KDHS survey (2003) further indicate that about 2/3 of the HIV infected adults are women most of them in their reproductive ages (15-49) and that female prevalence is nearly five times higher than male prevalence.

This situation presents major challenges with long lasting ripple effects as reflected in the high proportion of babies born with HIV. The situation is further complicated by the fact that majority of mothers do not even know their HIV status and the importance of PMTCT services.

In response to these challenges the government has prioritized expanding PMTCT programs at national level with the aim of increasing the number of mothers accessing the services and ultimately reducing the proportion of HIV positive babies from 33% to 23% by 2010. This plan places critical importance on addressing all factors hindering women’s greater access to PMTCT service particularly the socio-culture involvement of men in PMTCT and reproductive health.

Goal
Increase the number of clients/couples assessing quality and gender responsive PMTCT services in Thika district.

WEMIHS PMTCT project outputs

• Increased shared understanding among stakeholders at district and community level on the national priority regarding PMTCT and consensus on roles and responsibilities for harmonized efforts towards accelerating access to services.

• Strengthened capacity of district level partners and practitioners engaged in HIV and AIDS work adopting PMTCT messages and effective referral systems as an integral part of  their service delivery

• Improved community engagement in advocacy for male involvement and gender responsive PMTCT and reproductive health services.

Strategic Key Activities

• Capacity building for community level service (level one health facilities, community health workers)
• Sensitizing community based partners (CBOs, FBOs) on PMTCT agenda and importance for coordinated referral, gender responsive approach to include greater male involvement in support of PMTCT and Reproductive Health Services                            
• Skill transfer training and technical support to community and PLWHA engagement in PMTCT interventions
• Coordinating community Based Network for greater access to PMTCT
• Inform policy on best practices and lessons learned in accelerating PMTCT