As part of efforts to eradicate mother-to-child transmission of HIV and syphilis by 2015, Jamaica will on Friday officially launch a National Paediatric AIDS Elimination Initiative.
A statement from the Ministry of Health says the initiative is aimed at, among other things, ensuring that the rate of mother-to-child transmission of HIV is equal to, or less than 2 per cent and the rate of congenital syphilis is in the region of 0.5 cases per 1000 live births.
The National Paediatric AIDS Elimination Initiative will extend the former Global Fund project. It will facilitate follow-up patient care for HIV infected mothers and their babies continuing at the island’s major obstetric hospitals and clinics.
The project will be funded through a grant from the National Health Fund, NHF.
The Health Ministry says since 2002, Jamaica has been able to reduce mother-to-child transmission of HIV from 25 per cent to less than 5 per cent through appropriate interventions.
Director of Health Promotion and Protection in the Ministry, Dr. Kevin Harvey, say these interventions encompass access to antenatal care, HIV counseling and testing in pregnancy, as well as early infant diagnosis.
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