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The country has continued to register several children who are contracting HIV from their mothers, a new report has revealed.

The annual Joint AIDS Review Report 2022/23 indicates that there has been a slight reduction in the number of new infections among children between 0 and 14 years from 6,000 cases that were registered in 2021 to 5,900 in 2022/2023.

The director of planning and strategic information at the Uganda AIDS Commission, Dr Vincent Bagambe, said a drop of only 100 new HIV infections is not worth the celebration. Bagambe said for the country to reach the elimination stage, we should be registering less than 5,000 new infections among newborn babies.

The culprits are mothers who contract HIV when they are pregnant or those who become infected with HIV while breastfeeding. The other category is of mothers who abandon treatment while pregnant or during the breastfeeding period, consequently infecting their babies, he noted.

Bagambe said unless we close those taps of new HIV infections among children, the country will not achieve the elimination status.

Tips to protect newborn babies

Health experts affirm that it is possible to protect your unborn or newborn baby from contracting HIV, but if only you follow the tips below.

The deputy head of paediatrics at Joint Clinical Research Centre Lubowa, Dr Diana Rutebarika, said HIV can be passed on from an HIV-positive pregnant woman to her baby during pregnancy, childbirth or breastfeeding.

The Prevention of Mother To Child Transmission (PMTCT) guidelines stipulate that every pregnant woman attends antenatal care. During the first antenatal visit, she is tested for HIV. When the mother is found to be HIV-positive, she is immediately started on treatment for herself, but also to protect the unborn baby, Rutebarika explained.

An HIV-positive mother must take their antiretroviral treatment as prescribed to suppress the virus to undetectable levels.

Taking treatment properly can reduce the risk of your baby being born with HIV to less than 1% (virtually no risk).

During pregnancy, the mother’s viral load is monitored by conducting tests every three months during antenatal care visits, Dr Joyce Kijja, a medical officer at AIDS Information Centre, said.

In addition, he said the mother is advised to deliver from a health facility under the supervision of a trained health worker. HIV from the mother’s blood and other fluids, such as the water in her amniotic sac, could pass into her baby.

To prevent that, during delivery, the health workers ensure that the baby is not infected by cutting and clamping the umbilical cord properly.

Immediately after delivery, the baby is tested for HIV; testing the baby is the only way to know if HIV passed into their body during pregnancy, Dr Kijja said.

If found to be negative, the baby is also given prophylaxis-HIV preventive medication- (Nevirapine syrup) for six weeks.

After, the baby is tested again and if the results turn negative, the baby is given another form of medication (Septrin tablets) based on the body weight. When the baby turns 18 months or when they have finished breastfeeding, they are tested again. This will determine their final HIV status.

She further notes that the mother is also given instructions on how to breastfeed exclusively; meaning that the baby only has breastmilk for six months.

Dr Kijja said mixing breastmilk and other foods before this time increases the baby’s risk of acquiring HIV.

If the mother is not ready to breastfeed, they are allowed to give formula feeds, on condition that they observe good hygiene.

However, if the baby is discovered to be HIV-positive, they are immediately started on treatment in syrup form for life.

In the course of taking treatment, the health workers monitor both the baby and mother for their viral load, immunity (CD4) of organ function and how they are responding to medication, Dr Kijja noted.