Health

Rate of pregnant women tested for HIV still low

Ho Chi Minh City’s Paediatrics Hospital No1’s neurology and infectious diseases department has admitted children with HIV whose mothers did not have HIV tests during their pregnancy.
Rate of pregnant women tested for HIV still low ảnh 1A programme on HIV/AIDS prevention in HCM City. (Source: VNA)

HCM City (VNS/VNA) – Ho Chi Minh City’sPaediatrics Hospital No1’s neurology and infectious diseases department hasadmitted children with HIV whose mothers did not have HIV tests during theirpregnancy.

Dr Truong Huu Khanh, the department’s head, said thatthe mothers were not provided counselling about HIV tests during pregnancy.Many of them were examined periodically at private health facilities, he said.

“If they know their HIV status, they areprescribed medicines during pregnancy and childbirth, which can prevent morethan 98 percent of mother-to-child transmission of HIV,” he added.

The programme for prevention of mother-to-childtransmission has been carried out since 2005, said Nguyen Duc Vinh, head of theMinistry of Health’s maternal and child health department.

Vinh spoke at a conference on a national actionplan on eliminating mother-to-child transmission of HIV, hepatitis B andsyphilis by 2030, held in HCM City on March 27.

The rate of women receiving HIV screening beforeand during pregnancy is 38.5 percent, while the rate of pregnant womenreceiving HIV tests during labour is 57.6 percent.

The country has nearly 2 million pregnant womenevery year, and of those, more than 3,800 have HIV. Between 1,140 and 1,520children are born from women infected with HIV.

Health staff’s counselling on HIV tests andother issues related to HIV for pregnant women is limited, according to Vinh.In addition, health insurance does not cover the fee for HIV tests, and thereare not enough free HIV tests to serve demand.

Many pregnant women are afraid of discriminationif they test positive for HIV, Vinh said.

The rate of pregnant women infected withhepatitis B accounts for 10 percent to 20 percent of all pregnant women. Ninetypercent of children born from these women will be infected with hepatitis B.

The Ministry of Health has plans to improvehealth care at grassroots-level health facilities with better communication andbroader access to preventive services related to HIV, hepatitis B and syphilis.

The rate of mother-to-child syphilistransmission is 40 percent to 70 percent, while the rate of pregnant womengetting syphilis tests accounts for only around 16 percent.  

Tests for the three diseases will be included inpregnancy examinations at grassroots-level health facilities. This will helpthe country eliminate mother-to-child HIV, hepatitis B, and syphilis transmissionby 2030.-VNS/VNA
VNA
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