Hope in sight for children of HIV positive couples

MANGALORE: Finally there is hope for new-borns whose parents are HIV positive. The UNICEF''s Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission (PMTCT) programme, being implemented in 17 medical colleges in Karnataka and which will be extended to 21 districts soon, is offering a ray of hope to the unborn.
Dr K.T. Ratnamma, consultant for UNICEF''s Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission (PMTCT), told The Times of India that the programme laid emphasis on the bondage between parents and the child and urged them to go in for ''profalaxis'' — which would, in most cases, prevent transmission of the virus to the new born.
The foundation for the programme was laid in January 2000, when a batch of doctors were sent for a 10-day training to Thailand.The programme was launched at the Vani Vilas Hospital in Bangalore, a few months later. Rajamma asserted that the results were already showing with 60 per cent success rate.
The babies born under the programme are under observation for 18 months and after that period they are tested again for HIV status. So far, of the 19 babies born at the Vani Vilas Hospital, 12 were HIV negative, five were positive and two did not return for a follow up.
Rajamma said earlier that the profalaxis was done using multi-drug therapy ''AZT'' (anti-retro viral drug), which required intervention from the last four weeks of pregnancy. This, was cumbersome and many did not return for a follow-up.
A new drug ''Nevirapine'' has been introduced from October this year, where the intervention is only during labour. Rajamma said that this was an ultra short-term regimen where a single tablet (200 mg) was given to the patient in early part of labour and a single dose of suspension to the baby within 72 hours after birth.
This therapy will help in attending to emergency cases, which was not possible with AZT therapy, she said asserting that the National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) guidelines — that the patient should be informed about the therapy was strictly followed.
Prior to the intervention, the UNICEF used bondage issue to convince parents (if found HIV positive) to take drugs to save the new born from the disease. Rajamma maintained that it would help new borns to be healthy citizens as medical data suggested that 60 to 75 per cent of the transmission occurred during labour.
The incidence of transmission was only 10-15 per cent in the womb and 10-25 per cent after delivery. "Hence, labour plays a crucial part in transmission and the new drug is working wonders," she added.
In Mangalore, the programme is being implemented at KMC, Attavar and Fr Muller''s Charitable Institutions. Rajamma said another unit may be opened at Lady Goschen Hospital.