HIV/AIDS: Rivers Government to reduce mother-child transmission

The Rivers State government has urged stakeholders in the health sector of the state to make effective collaboration towards fighting mother to child transmission of HIV/AIDS.

The state commissioner for health, Dr. Sampson Parker stated this at the opening ceremony of the development of the state’s Prevention of Mother to Child Treatment, PMTCT, programme held in Port Harcourt.

Parker further encouraged organizers of the programme to engage the private sector in their work plan, stressing that it would be an added advantage to achieve better service delivery.

The commissioner also said the elimination of the HIV/AIDS disease in the state was possible with the increase of PMTCT service centres.

Elimination of Mother to Child Transmission is one of the methods aimed at curbing the spread of HIV/AIDS.

In another development, report has it that prevalence rate of HIV/Aids is becoming alarming in the country.

In a paper delivered by Dr. Chukwuma Anyaike, Deputy Director (Prevention) HIV/AIDS Division, Federal Ministry Of Health, he said the prevalence of the disease was still high in Nigeria.

Anyaike gave a breakdown of the statistics showing expectant mothers and children as most vulnerable.

In his presentation, Ayanike noted that: “90% of HIV infections in children is as a result of mother-to-child transmission. Nearly all of such infections can be prevented by effective PMTCT programming”.

The PMTCT programme currently ongoing in Port Harcourt will last for three days.

It is meant to present a viable workplan to further help fight the menace of HIV/AIDS.