ARV roll-out expands

FROM today, HIV-POSITIVE people at Khorixas, Eenhana, Usakos, Opuwo, Luederitz, Tsumeb and Swakopmund will have access to life-prolonging drugs.

Health Minister Dr Libertina Amathila announced on Friday that they had been added to State hospitals at Katutura, Oshakati, Katima Mulilo, Rundu, Walvis Bay and Keetmanshoop. This brings to 13 the number of hospitals that will now provide anti-retroviral therapy (ARV).In addition, the Ministry has rolled out the Prevention of Mother-To-Child Transmission (PMTCT) programme among HIV-positive pregnant mothers to six State and four church hospitals.Engela, Outapi, Grootfontein, Otjiwarongo, Gobabis and Omaruru State Hospitals together with Onandjokwe managed by Lutheran Medical Services and Oshikuku, Andara and Nyangana hospitals managed by the Catholic Health Services will provide the PMTCT programme.Under the PMTCT programme, health authorities provide Nevirapine to mothers and babies, while both parents are put on Nevirapine, also called Viramune – that slows the reproduction of HIV in the body – before and after the birth of the babies.A dose of Nevirapine – a tablet given to mothers during labour and a teaspoon of syrup to the baby within the first 72 hours of birth – can cut infection rates.Health personnel have been trained to monitor the progress of each patient.Anti-retroviral drugs such as Stavutine (also known as D4T) or Lamivutine (better known as 3TC) will also be made available to both parents.Amathila said when they started the PMTCT programme only around 10 per cent of pregnant mothers consented to testing at State health facilities.With the visible benefits of the programme, the testing rate had increased to about 75 per cent.”I want 100 per cent of pregnant women to consent to voluntary testing and counselling by 2005,” she said.She was not impressed by male partners who continued to refuse testing.”They must join and not hang around out there and continue to infect others,” she said.Around 2 100 Namibians receive the ARV therapy.”People who were preparing to die are now preparing to live.Some that were preparing to die went back to work,” she said.Once a patient starts taking ARV therapy, they need to continue until death.Stopping leads to the development of a drug-resistant virus.Amathila warned people not to share the drugs.ARV therapy is set to reduce the in-patient numbers dramatically as HIV-positive people are likely to regain a degree of health and leave hospitals.This brings to 13 the number of hospitals that will now provide anti-retroviral therapy (ARV).In addition, the Ministry has rolled out the Prevention of Mother-To-Child Transmission (PMTCT) programme among HIV-positive pregnant mothers to six State and four church hospitals.Engela, Outapi, Grootfontein, Otjiwarongo, Gobabis and Omaruru State Hospitals together with Onandjokwe managed by Lutheran Medical Services and Oshikuku, Andara and Nyangana hospitals managed by the Catholic Health Services will provide the PMTCT programme.Under the PMTCT programme, health authorities provide Nevirapine to mothers and babies, while both parents are put on Nevirapine, also called Viramune – that slows the reproduction of HIV in the body – before and after the birth of the babies.A dose of Nevirapine – a tablet given to mothers during labour and a teaspoon of syrup to the baby within the first 72 hours of birth – can cut infection rates.Health personnel have been trained to monitor the progress of each patient.Anti-retroviral drugs such as Stavutine (also known as D4T) or Lamivutine (better known as 3TC) will also be made available to both parents.Amathila said when they started the PMTCT programme only around 10 per cent of pregnant mothers consented to testing at State health facilities.With the visible benefits of the programme, the testing rate had increased to about 75 per cent.”I want 100 per cent of pregnant women to consent to voluntary testing and counselling by 2005,” she said.She was not impressed by male partners who continued to refuse testing.”They must join and not hang around out there and continue to infect others,” she said.Around 2 100 Namibians receive the ARV therapy.”People who were preparing to die are now preparing to live.Some that were preparing to die went back to work,” she said.Once a patient starts taking ARV therapy, they need to continue until death.Stopping leads to the development of a drug-resistant virus.Amathila warned people not to share the drugs.ARV therapy is set to reduce the in-patient numbers dramatically as HIV-positive people are likely to regain a degree of health and leave hospitals.