Pros and Cons of Uganda’s New ARV Therapy for Pregnant Women

By Wambi MichaelKAMPALA, Nov 27 2013 (IPS) Uganda has gotten plenty of kudos and some criticism over its roll out of the new antiretroviral therapy for pregnant women and their babies, known as Option B +. Recommended by the World Health Organisation in June 2012, Option B+ consists in life-long provision of ARV therapy to pregnant women regardless of their CD4 count. CD4s, or helper cells, fight infections in the body. Before, under Options A and B, mother and baby were given ARVs during pregnancy and breastfeeding. Only women with CD4 counts under 350 were prescribed ARVs for life – but CD4-counting machines are expensive and scarce in Africa. Uganda has done remarkably well. Over 70 percent of all health facilities offer Option B+ and it is well on track to reach its target of 35,000 women in the first year, with 27,000 women in treatment by March 2013. “We are overwhelmed by the roll out so far,” said Godfrey Esiru, national coordinator of prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) at the Ministry of Health. “It is the cheapest option for a country with limited resources for the health sector.” Uganda’s seroprevalence is seven percent, or some 1.5 million people, according to the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS). AIDS activists welcomed the roll out but voiced some concerns. “Option B+ denies a pregnant woman the right to decide whether to join the service or not,” said Dorothy Namutamba of the International Community of ...
Source: IPS Inter Press Service - Health - Category: Global & Universal Authors: Tags: Africa Countdown to ZERO Development & Aid Featured Gender Headlines Health Projects TerraViva Europe TerraViva United Nations Women's Health ARVs International Community of Women Living with HIV/AIDs in Eastern Africa (ICWEA) Jo Source Type: news