The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : It's celebration time at AIDS prevention society

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Mar 08, 2006

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

It's celebration time at AIDS prevention society

M. Dinesh Varma

CAPACS efforts pay off: HIV couple's child tests negative for virus

CHENNAI: Life has taken a new meaning for an HIV couple when their child tested negative for the virus on Tuesday.

The mother was detected with HIV last year during a random visit to an antenatal screening clinic of the Prevention of Parent to Child Transmission Programme run by the Chennai Corporation AIDS Prevention and Control Society (CAPACS). Her husband was subsequently identified to be HIV positive.

Counsellors at CAPACS worked with the couple persistently over a series of counselling sessions. Nevirapine was administered to the woman in the last term of pregnancy to reduce the viral load passed on to the child.

She was admitted to the Corporation Hospital in Old Washermenpet in July, 2005 and gave birth by Caesarean section. A single dose of antiretroviral syrup was also given to the newborn.

After six months, the blood sample was tested at the Tamil Nadu Dr. MGR Medical University.

On Tuesday, when the "HIV negative" report came in from the Tamil Nadu Dr. MGR Medical University, the entire staff at CAPACS celebrated like an extended family along with the baby's parents.

Counselling

"The experience of these parents exemplifies what motivational counselling and regular follow-up can achieve.

It has been elevating even for our staff," said Dharani Singh, Deputy Director (IEC) of CAPACS.

According to a UNICEF datasheet on HIV/AIDS, if an HIV-positive woman becomes pregnant, there is a 35 per cent chance that she will transmit the virus to her child if no preventative action is taken.

Every year, more than 700,000 children become HIV-positive through transmission from their parents.

Some 15-20 per cent are infected during pregnancy, 50 per cent during delivery and 33 per cent through breastfeeding.

Mr. Singh attributes the falling HIV prevalence levels among antenatal mothers in Chennai to the relentless awareness campaigns.

Chennai's HIV prevalence among antenatal mothers has slipped to levels lower than that of Tamil Nadu, which has transited from high prevalence to low prevalence status.

While in 2000, the HIV prevalence for the State was 1 per cent and 1.5 per cent in Chennai, it now was 0.62 per cent and 0.14 per cent respectively.

An increased awareness and a reassurance in the confidentiality maintained in the Prevention of Parent to Child Transmission Programme could encourage more women to seek counselling and follow-up services.

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