Infant HIV Testing Soars from 30% to 94% in Northern Namibian District

A health worker tests an infant for HIV in northern Namibia. Photo by Trevor Snapp for IntraHealth International.June 07, 2017The number of infants tested for HIV in the northern Namibian district of Nyangana skyrocketed over the past year —from 29.3% to 94.4%—thanks in part to a new tracking system developed byIntraHealth International.IntraHealth nurse mentor Rightwell Zulu and district monitoring and evaluation officer Felistas Shindimba were part of the team of health workers at Nyangana District Hospital who developed the system to test nearly every baby born to HIV-positive mothers in the district. Their goal is to prevent HIV transmission in all babies in the district, and to start HIV-positive babies on treatment as soon as possible.Today, according to theMinistry of Health and Social Services, overall HIV prevalence in Namibia is 17.2%, and highest in the northern regions. Nyangana District Hospital provides basic health services to over 38,000 Namibians in Kavango East, the region with the third-highest HIV prevalence rate in the country.Early infant diagnosis is crucial, as HIV-positive babies face the highest risk of death within their first three months of life.But health workers and policy-makers in Namibia have made great progress in reducing mother-to-child HIV transmission. In fact, the number of children born HIV-positive has dropped by more than 90% since 2004,said US Ambassador Thomas Daughton at an event celebrating this most recent milestone at Nyang...
Source: IntraHealth International - Category: International Medicine & Public Health Authors: Source Type: news