Community awareness including male involvement in prevention of mother to child transmission of HIV infection is crucial

Abstract

Background: Myanmar is one of the developing countries in South East Asia and HIV prevalence among pregnant women is 1.4%. UNFPA has established the Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission of HIV infection (PMCT) programme collaborated with National AIDS Programme since 2005. Low education status, social, traditional, cultural, and financial barriers limitted many women not access to sexual and reproductive health information and services including PMCT services. Therefore, number of pregnant women access to PMCT services and HIV testing is still low and should promote community awareness including male involvement in HIV/AIDS activities. Methods: Sharing knowledge and information via TV spots, video clips, role plays, stage shows, and distribution of pamphlets, posters, and wall sheets are effective and it reaches to grass root level where 70% of total Myanmar population live and most of them are illiterate. It also improves awareness on HIV/AIDS and male participation. Peer knowledge and information sharing among men and women, health talk to targeted population with two ways discussion improve knowledge and utilization of services. Delivery of information by influential people is also effective in male involvement of PMCT activities. Partner counseling is better than individual counseling. Basic health staff are main actors in PMCT activities. PMCT activities should be integrated with other health activities. Results: Address and stress on community awareness and male involvement by different ways made improvement of male participation in health care of pregnant women and it enhanced the utilization of PMCT services. Partner involvement has been increased as there was no partner has taken HIV testing in the project started time and now gradually increased in number of male HIV testing. Husbands become aware on safe deliveries of their wives and taking regular antenatal care. In some areas, husbands got peer information sharing from their friends and they lead and bring their wives to health sectors. Conclusion: Community awareness and male involvement in sexual and reproductive health care activities including HIV/AIDS is important and crucial for utilization of PMCT services. If male involvement is improved, PMCT programe would be improved and successful. Integration of other activities is also needed to improve the PMCT programme. Abstracts for SupplementInternational Journal of Infectious DiseasesVol. 14Preview Full-Text PDF Open Archive