6991 children living with HIV
Botswana has since 2021, become the first high-burden country to be certified by the World Health Organisation (WHO) for achieving an important milestone on the path to eliminating mother-to-child transmission of the Human Immuno-Deficiency Virus.
United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) Fast track advisor, Dr Chiweni Chimbwete says the trend of HIV virtual transmission of mother-to-child in the last 10 years from 2012 to 2022, indicates that there were 1 100 HIV positive children born every year.
According to Chimbwete, with government interventions such as HIV treatment, tracking pregnant women and testing, the virus became suppressed.
“The numbers now have gone down by about 90 per cent reduction of new infections,” Chimbwete said, adding that government continues to provide Prevention of Mother-To Child Transmission (PMTCT) programmes to infected pregnant women.
Chimbwete noted the various reasons why some pregnant women do not get PMTCT programmes including internal stigmatisation that results from one feeling guilty or ashamed of themselves.
“Some pregnant mothers, 37, dropped off Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) during pregnancy; 31 others did not receive ART during pregnancy; 24 were infected during pregnancy and 34 mothers infected their children during breastfeeding,” Chimbwete said.
He said 174 children from 0-14 years are newly-infected with HIV, while there are 6 991 children from 0-14 years who are living with HIV, and 58.09 per cent of children from 0-14 are on ART. Chimbwete urged pregnant infected women to join PMTCT Programme to avoid affecting their babies.