Turkana celebrates major milestone in fight against mother-to-child HIV transmission
According to the county government, the transmission rate in Turkana is currently at 16.9 per cent, which is double the national rate of 7.3 per cent,
Following an intensive two-year prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) programme in Turkana County that aims to eliminate HIV/AIDS transmission among children by the year 2030, at least 82 exposed infants out of 99 at three health centres have now been declared HIV-negative.
At a celebration event, supported by USAID Imarisha Jamii and the Catholic Diocese of Lodwar, held in Nakwamoru Health Centre in Turkana county, 82 exposed infants out of the 99 were declared HIV-negative, indicating a successful outcome towards the elimination campaign.
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The health centres that made the achievements include Nakwamoru (17 infants), Kataboi (27) and Lowareng'ak (38).
Janerose Tioko, the Turkana County Chief Officer for Preventive and Promotive Health, who hailed the health officials, outlined the importance of mothers enrolling in the PMTCT programme, which he said yielded significant achievements to reduce and eliminate the rate of HIV/AIDS transmission among children.
"We want to encourage mothers to enrol their children on these programmes since it is beyond doubt that a positive mother can bear a HIV- negative child," she said.
She urged mothers to keep off alcoholism, as it contributes to the challenges of adherence to antiretroviral therapy, resulting in default treatment.
She encouraged donor partners to continue embracing the spirit of collaboration with the county government and other sectors, such as the National Syndemic Disease Control Council, among others, to achieve the elimination of mother-to-child transmission by 2030.
Jacinta Mwenda, the HIV/AIDS Coordinator at the Catholic Diocese of Lodwar, said that since the inception of the programme in 2020, a total of 649 HIV exposed children have been confirmed HIV-negative under the programme. She also stated that a stigma reduction has been observed in the county due to awareness creation in the community.
"These sustained achievements indicate that Turkana county is making progress to reduce the spread of HIV among mothers and children," she noted.
The County AIDS and STI Coordinator, Samuel Pulkol, underscored the importance of community awareness and sensitisation through the community health promoters being among the strategies that enhanced the success of the program.
"The county has been committed to ensuring community units encourage mothers to attend health facilities for testing and delivering as they continue with post-natal care," he said.
According to the county government, the transmission rate in Turkana is currently at 16.9 per cent, which is double the national rate of 7.3 per cent, signifying the need to intensify efforts towards reducing prevalence and eliminating HIV/AIDS among children.
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