AEGiS-14IAC: Involvement of men in programs to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV.

14th International AIDS Conference


Barcelona, Spain - July 7-12, 2002

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Involvement of men in programs to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV.

Int Conf AIDS 2002 Jul 7-12; 14:(abstract no. MoOrF1032)

Shutes E, Vwalika C, Kasonde P, Sinkala M, Kankasa C, Allen S, Aldrovandi G, Kuhn L, Thea DM
Boston University, Boston, United States

BACKGROUND: Both mothers and fathers should be involved in making informed decisions about how to protect their children from HIV. Programs to prevent mother-to-child HIV transmission are usually conducted within antenatal clinics, services rarely, if ever, attended by men in southern Africa. Strategies to involve men in these programs are urgently needed.

METHODS: The Zambia Exclusive Breastfeeding Study (ZEBS) began offering voluntary testing and counselling (VTC) to all pregnant woman attending antenatal care at 2 District Health Clinics in Lusaka, Zambia in May 2001. Initially, many women declined VTC without the consent of their husbands. Although women were encouraged to talk to their husbands before testing and were invited to bring them for testing, few responded. In October 2001, more active outreach strategies were tried. In the antenatal clinic wait room, male community outreach workers offered women assistance with engaging their partners. Women who agreed arranged for the outreach workers to go to their homes to invite their husbands for VTC. A Saturday morning couples counselling clinic was started.

RESULTS: Between Oct-Dec 2001, 166 couples were counseled at the 2 antenatal clinics compared to less than 27 in May-Sept. Uptake of testing was 92% among men attending counselling and HIV prevalence was 34%. Within couples, 76% of HIV-positive women had an HIV-positive male partner, and 84% of HIV-positive men had an HIV-positive female partner. Couples testing comprised less than 7% of the testing conducted at the 2 clinics

CONCLUSION: Involvement of men in programs to prevent mother-to-child HIV transmission is possible but may require substantial reorientation of antenatal services and active community education. Couples counselling may help facilitate better uptake of interventions to prevent transmission to children and is more likely to be effective to support primary prevention of HIV transmission.

Keywords: AEGIS, HIV Infections, HIV Seropositivity, Mothers, Counseling, Prenatal Care, Breast Feeding, Zambia, Africa, Southern, Child, Human, Male, Female, Pregnancy, transmissionKWDaegis,hivinfections,hivseropositivity,mothers,counseling,prenatalcare,breastfeeding,zambia,africa,southern,child,human,male,female,pregnancy,transmission

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MoOrF1032

Copyright © 2002 - International AIDS Society (IAS). Reproduction of this abstract (other than one copy for personal reference) must be cleared through the IAS.