AFRO-NETS> The Drum Beat - 43 - Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV/AIDS

[Warren Feek <wfeek@coastnet.com>]

The Drum Beat - 43 - Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV/AIDS
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from THE COMMUNICATION INITIATIVE partnership - The Rockefeller Foun-
dation, UNICEF, USAID, The CHANGE Project, WHO, BBC World Service, 
CIDA, Johns Hopkins University Center for Communication Programs, The 
European Union, Soul City, The Panos Institute, UNAIDS. 

Information, ideas, linkages and dialogue on communication, develop-
ment and change.

Director: Warren Feek
mailto:wfeek@coastnet.com 
http://www.comminit.com

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PROGRAMMES

1. The ZVITAMBO Project - Zimbabwe - Intended to provide monitoring 
and impact information on the transmission of HIV through breastfeed-
ing, and implemented in partnership with the government of Zimbabwe, 
an educational and communication intervention was developed to inform 
and counsel pregnant women on issues of HIV, breastfeeding and re-
placement feeding. 
Contact: Jean Humphrey 
mailto:zvitambo@icon.co.zw 
http://www.comminit.com/power_point/pds_07-99/sld002.htm

2. Short Course ZDV - Thailand - The Royal Thai Ministry of Public 
Health established this drug regime and interpersonal counselling 
programme in 1996 as a means to prevent mother to child transmission 
of HIV in the Phayao district of Thailand, thereby decreasing infant 
mortality. 
Contact: Agnes Soucat 
mailto:asoucat@mozart.inet.co.th

3. Communication Intervention for MTCT Initiative - Zambia - An ef-
fective programme on HIV MTCT was developed to create a supportive 
environment to facilitate attitudinal and behavioural change among 
mothers and the general public. Information, Education and Communica-
tion in partnership with advocacy were used to create awareness, in-
crease knowledge, develop partnerships, reduce stigma and discrimina-
tion and ensure public support for MTCT interventions. 
Contact: Clare Blenkinsop 
mailto:Cblenkinsop@unicef.zm

4. 076 Program - Brazil - Training and supervision at the Dr. Cesar 
Cals Hospital in Northern Brazil gave medical professionals the re-
quired knowledge and skills to plan and implement a comprehensive 
program to reduce MTCT. This will be the first hospital to introduce 
such training into the workplace in Brazil. 
Contact Francisco Holland 
mailto:research@pedaids.org

5. Community participation - Botswana and Zambia - The ICRW is imple-
menting an operational research project that aims to identify ways 
and means of seeking community participation and involvement in MTCT 
programs. It had done several FGDs in the two countries and will soon 
have its initial findings available. 
Contact Mary Lyn Field 
mailto:mfield@icrw.org

NETWORK

6. ProCAARE-Child - Global - An e-mail based communication network 
was established to facilitate networking and exchange of information 
on pediatric HIV/AIDS within the international health community with 
a focus in the developing world. 
Contact: Elizabeth Glaser Foundation 
mailto:research@pedaids.org

STRATEGIES

7. Pilot Initiatives - UNICEF, WHO, UNFPA and UNAIDS have launched a 
joint initiative, the overall aim of which is to give strong and co-
ordinated leadership and guidance to countries concerning the preven-
tion of MTCT. Principle: any national strategy to prevent MTCT should 
be part of broader strategies to prevent the transmission of HIV and 
STDs, to care for HIV-positive women and their families, and to pro-
mote maternal and child health. Pilot projects are now at various 
stages of implementation in eight countries in Africa. These are in-
tended to test the feasibility and sustainability of implementing in 
a routine setting the findings of the research that has already been 
done, to measure the impact of the intervention, and to enable the 
refinement of strategies. 
Contact Eric Mercier 
mailto:emercier@unicef.org

8. East and Southern Africa - A communication strategy has recently 
been developed for MTCT, in recognition of the importance of communi-
cation as a key component of and to support MTCT. The strategy will 
assist countries and sites that implement MTCT to pay attention to 
issues of community outreach, community participation and mobilisa-
tion, advocacy, audience research, development of materials and mes-
sages, information and education. 
Contact: Bunmi Makinwa 
mailto:makinwab@unaids.org

WEB SITES

9. HIV Positive: Women and Children - Organised by The Cyber Beacon, 
this website provides information on many women's issues as they re-
late to HIV/AIDS, including guidelines and resources. 
http://www.hivpositive.com/f-Women/WoChildMenu.html

10. H.E.A.R.T. - Health Education and Reduced Transmission is a com-
prehensive website for consumers and health care providers, relaying 
information relating to vertical transmission of HIV/AIDS. Also, a 
number of resources specific to mother to child transmission of 
HIV/AIDS are included. 
http://mercury.sfsu.edu/~lizbeth/hiv.htm

11. Women and Children and HIV - Health Information Vermont/New Hamp-
shire HIVNet - This website provides extensive resources for women 
and children with HIV/AIDS, including, statistics and fact sheets, 
health resources, support services, information on pregnancy and HIV, 
planning for the future and other links on the web. Visit: 
http://www.dartmouth.edu/~hivnet/women&children.htmld/index.html

STUDIES

12. HIV/AIDS and Strategies to Prevent Mother-To-Child Transmission 
(MTCT) - South Africa - Conducted from 1998-1999, this was '...a 
study of practices, representations, gender, ethics, rights, and 
health policy'. MTCT was reduced utilizing communication strategies 
involving ethnographic methods, including participant observation, 
interviews, open-ended and semi-structured interviews with health 
care workers, some focus groups, and storytelling techniques. 
Contact: Gill Seidel 
mailto:ssd@u-bordeaux2.fr

13. Influence of infant-feeding patterns on early mother-to-child 
transmission of HIV-1 in Durban, South Africa: a prospective cohort 
study. - This study was conducted to review recommended policies of 
avoidance of breastfeeding by HIV-1 infected women and to assess 
whether the pattern of breastfeeding is a critical determinant of 
early mother-to-child transmission of HIV-1. Initial findings show 
that exclusive breastfeeding may provide an affordable, culturally 
acceptable and effective means of reducing MTCT of HIV-1 while main-
taining the overwhelming benefits of breastfeeding. Full study avail-
able online at: 
http://www.thelancet.com/newlancet/reg/issues/vol354no9177/body.early471.html

14. Project Inform produced a discussion paper "Mother to Child HIV 
Transmission" which explores aspects of HIV+ child bearing, including 
prenatal care, anti-HIV therapies, delivery of the baby, breastfeed-
ing advice and resources for support for HIV+ pregnant women. Report 
is available online at:
http://www.projinf.org/fs/mothertochild.html

GLOBAL INITIATIVE

15. Call to Action - Global - This phased MTCT reduction programme 
focuses on coordinating activities to improve access and use of anti-
retroviral interventions in developing nations, contributing to over-
all improved mother/child care. 
Contact: Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation 
mailto:research@pedaids.org

GATHERINGS

16. Communication for Behaviour Development and Change - Kenya - This 
UNICEF conference for the Eastern and Southern Africa Regional 
HIV/AIDS Network maintained a significant emphasis on communication 
for the prevention of MTCT of HIV/AIDS. Recommendations and action 
plans were the output of the forum of technical presentations, ple-
nary discussion, group discussions/work, and information markets of 
international print materials. 
Contact: Neill McKee 
mailto:nmckee@unicef.org

17. HIV/AIDS Response Meeting - South Africa - Held November 4-5, 
1999, Health Ministers reviewed ongoing work aimed at the reduction 
of mother to child transmission. The Ministers committed themselves 
to immediately step up efforts to implement programmes in Member 
States aimed at promoting and supporting voluntary counselling and 
testing as well as strengthening the capacity of health systems to 
effectively deliver these services. 
Contact: Dieter Neuvians
mailto:238176@ecoweb.co.zw

18. On Dec.11-12, 1999, in Mumbai, India, a Conference took place on 
Perinatal HIV and Pediatric AIDS, hosted by the AIDS Clinic and Popu-
lation Services International. The aim of the conference was to sen-
sitize medical and paramedical communities to HIV and AIDS in terms 
of international intervention of HIV transmission from mother to 
child. 
Contact: Dr. J.K. Maniar
mailto:jkmaniar@bom5.vsnl.net.in

19. A recent workshop on MTCT of HIV was held in Chiang Mai, Thailand 
to review a pilot project that found support from husbands was a cru-
cial factor in the success of testing and drug regime interventions 
designed to reach HIV positive pregnant women. 
Contact Phaik-Choo Phuah 
mailto:slpcp@loxinfo.co.th

20. A multi-disciplinary symposium directed towards doctors, mid-
wives, nurses, social workers, health visitors, teachers and other 
health professionals for all those concerned with the care of women 
and children with HIV/AIDS took place on October 11 of this year. 
Contact the Symposium Office:
mailto:symposia@rpms.ac.uk

21. Prevention of HIV Transmission from Mothers to Infants - India - 
This Round Table Conference brought together HIV experts and regional 
health workers for discussion of issues relating to ethics, testing, 
policy, breastfeeding, and research, and to develop protocols for im-
plementing therapy for HIV+ pregnant women. 
Contact N.M. Samuel 
mailto:research@pedaids.org

SUPPORT

22. The National Pediatric & Family HIV Resource Center (NPHRC) - The 
NPHRC at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey is a 
non-profit organization that serves professionals who care for chil-
dren, adolescents and families with HIV infection and AIDS. Founded 
in 1990, the Center offers education, consultation, technical assis-
tance, and training for health and social service professionals. 
Contact Mary G. Boland 
mailto:bolandmg@umdnj.edu


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With thanks to everyone for their contributions. Please send items 
for The Drum Beat to:
The Editor
Deborah Heiman
mailto: deborah@vermontel.net

This issue edited by Warren Feek
mailto:wfeek@coastnet.com

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