Loss to Follow Up in HIV Exposed Infants in the PMTCT Programme in Hurungwe District, Zimbabwe

Abstract

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that a total of 10 million babies have been born infected with HIV since the start of the epidemic and each day more than 1500 children become infected worldwide. Over 90% of these acquire the infection from their mothers.In the absence of intervention, the risk of mother to child transmission (MTCT) of HIV is 15-30% in non-breastfeeding population. Breastfeeding increases the risk of MTCT transmission to 20-45%6. The risk of MTCT can be reduced to below 2% by interventions that include ARV prophylaxis, caesarian section and alternatives to breastfeeding. Sub Saharan Africa, which has just over 10% of the world’s population, is worst affected, accounts for two thirds of the people living with HIV, and accounting for 90% of all the cases of MTCT of HIV. An Estimated 2.5 million children were living with HIV at the end of 2009, 2.3 million of them in sub-Saharan Africa8. In 2011 globally, an estimated 330,000 new infections were in children and between 10-12% of babies become infected each day through mother to child transmission of HIV9.