AFRO-NETS> Catholic Medical Mission Board to Protect New Born Babies from HIV/AIDS

[Christa Mary Jones <smhnurse@mweb.co.za>]

Catholic Medical Mission Board to Protect New Born Babies from HIV/AIDS
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CATHOLIC MEDICAL MISSION BOARD OPENS PROGRAMME AT ST. MARY?S HOSPITAL 
CLINIC TO PROTECT NEW BORN BABIES FROM HIV/AIDS

Two other CMMB centers will open soon, also in KwaZulu Natal

Mariannhill, KwaZulu Natal, South Africa, January 31, 2002

The U.S.-based Catholic Medical Mission Board will expand the fight 
against AIDS in KwaZulu Natal with the official opening on February 
11 of a programme for the prevention of mother-to-child transmission 
(MTCT) of HIV/AIDS. The multi-faceted programme is based at St. 
Mary?s Hospital Mariannhill, and includes voluntary testing, counsel-
ling, anti-retroviral therapy, and breastfeeding. ?We could not be 
happier,? said Douglas Ross, M.D., Hospital Superintendent at St. 
Mary?s. ?CMMB?s programme will be life saving for hundreds of new-
borns who might otherwise become ill and die.?

The programme will be staffed and operated by CMMB at St. Anne?s 
Clinic, (adjacent to St. Mary?s Hospital). CMMB operates healthcare 
programs and provides medical help in countries around the world. 
?Thanks to CMMB, we can do a much better job of helping expectant 
women and their families deliver healthy babies, free from HIV/AIDS,? 
said Dr. Ross. 

John F. Galbraith, the President of CMMB, said ?The best hope for the 
region?s next generation of children is a comprehensive approach that 
combines education and training with testing and medication.? 
Galbraith confirmed that CMMB would begin MTCT-prevention activities 
at two additional clinics within the year: one at Holy Rosary in New-
castle, and the other at Matikwe, Inanba. ?Once our other sites are 
up and running,? he said, ?we will be able to assist some 4,300 women 
a year.? 

Officials at St. Mary?s say that this year alone, St. Anne?s Clinic 
will offer more than 1,100 high-risk, pregnant women counselling and 
medication, including the anti-retroviral drug nevirapine, which can 
reduce by 50% the number of babies infected with HIV/AIDS. The same 
services will be available to women and their partners who attend 
primary health care clinics, churches, and gatherings in surrounding 
communities. 

Women who test reactive to HIV antibodies receive a single dose of 
nevirapine to be taken during labor. Then they receive a single dose 
for their children, to be given within 72 hours following birth. The 
nevirapine administered through CMMB programs is donated by the Ger-
man pharmaceutical company, Boehringer Ingelheim.

CMMB's MTCT-prevention programme includes other vital components, 
such as:

* An exclusive 24 weeks of breast-feeding, as mandated by the World 
  Health Organization (WHO) and KwaZulu-Natal Ministry of Health guide-
  lines; and 
* The safe use of nutrition alternatives appropriate to local condi-
  tions. In addition, mothers and babies may receive Co-trimoxazole, 
  (Bactrim) (an antibiotic that fights opportunistic infections), vita-
  mins, and food supplements.

CMMB calls its new MTCT-prevention initiative, ?Born to Live.? The 
most important features of the program are that it is free, volun-
tary, and all testing and treatment are confidential. ?CMMB is com-
mitted to doing everything we can to address the tragedy of AIDS for 
South Africans,? said Galbraith, ?and to provide healthcare in a 
safe, family-centered environment.?

Contact:
Charles Grey
Public Relations Manager
St. Mary?s Mission Trust Hospital
Mariannhill, KwaZulu Natal
South Africa
Tel: +27-31-717-1002/ +27-83-384-4404
mailto:charles@stmarys.co.za

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