For various reasons several ante-natal cases were going unregistered in Visakhapatnam, which was a cause of concern from the Prevention of Parent to Child Transmission of HIV/AIDS (PPTCT) aspect, Additional DMHO P. Rajendra Prasad has said.
Participating in a sensitisation programme for doctors in the Government and private sector on effective implementation of the PPTCT, he expressed concern over HIV-positive delivery cases from Anakapalle, Vizianagaram and Srikakulam hospitals being referred to KGH, VGH or St.Ann's J.M. Hosptial.
Impressing upon private and government gynaecologists to take up deliveries of HIV-positive mothers by putting them on a single dose of Nevirapine during delivery, he said it was a drug used as part of antiretroviral therapy both on mother and new-born so that the infection does not pass on.
“The transmission rate could be brought down from 35 per cent to 8 per cent in some pilot studies and was now being implemented in many other district level hospitals. In an extension of this an extended Nevirapine regimen was being tried in a couple of hospitals, which was showing better results,” he added.
KGH professor of gynaecology Padmavathy spoke about the ground realities and that led to a host of questions from participants and the Additional DMHO answered them. KGH assistant professor Vani gave a power-point presentation on the PPTCT and the prevalence of HIV/AIDS in Andhra Pradesh. Retired professor Sarojini and PSI Consultant G. Prabhakar participated.
