Zimbabwe is aiming to become the second country in the world, after Cuba, to receive validation from the World Health Organisation (WHO) that it has eliminated mother-to-child transmission of HIV, stakeholders have said.
By Phyllis Mbanje
According to WHO, the term “validation” is used when a country has successfully met the criteria for eliminating mother-to-child transmission (eMTCT) of HIV.
It also “implies that countries will also need to maintain ongoing, routine, effective programme interventions and quality surveillance systems to monitor eMTCT of HIV”.
“Zimbabwe is committed to going through the process of being validated, drawing encouragement from the fact that the transmission rate of mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) has dropped to 6,7% from an all-time high of 30%,” Angela Mushavi, a Health ministry official, said.
Initially the target was 12%, but the country has far-exceeded its target.
Speaking at an event co-ordinated by Elizabeth Glasier Paediatric Aids Foundation (EGPAF) to celebrate successes in programmes on accelerating elimination of paediatric Aids in Zimbabwe, Mushavi said they will reduce the rate to 5%, which is the qualifying mark for validation.
While for other diseases when infection incidence falls to zero within a geographical area, it is considered “eliminated”, for HIV, because it still remains a major public health threat, the percentage is less than 5%.
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Agnes Mahomva, EGPAF country director, said the country had made huge strides from when they initiated the programme in 2010.
“The workload was massive, but through collaborations with other partners, we have made admirable progress with now over 1 400 sites offering PMTCT services,” she said.
Also speaking at the event, the president and chief executive officer of EGPAF, Charles Lyons said Zimbabwe deserved global recognition.
“The country deserves global attention for such achievements and with bigger and better resources can achieve the target for validation to take place,” he said.
Lyons applauded the HIV positive mothers who “rose above stigma” to seek treatment for their children.
EGPAF is one of the organisations that has been at the forefront of spearheading eMTCT and will continue to monitor and sustain gains made in the programme.
Delegates at the event were pleasantly surprised by scintillating performances from jazz sensation, Prudence Katomeni-Mbofana and Oliver Mtukudzi.
