PMTCT (PREVENTION MOTHER TO CHILD TRANSMISSION OF HIV), Cambodia

Cambodia is one of the five most severely HIV/AIDS affected countries in the Asia-Pacific region with an estimated HIV prevalence rate of 2.6%. In the last several years the HIV infection has become less concentrated in high risk groups and has entered the general population.
Magna is attempting to substantially lower the risk of HIV virus transmission from HIV-positive pregnant women to their infants by introducing, administering and/or overseeing antenatal, intrapartum and postnatal intervention practices in the form of:
a) prenatal care,
b) antiretroviral prophylaxis upon child delivery,
c) obstetric practices oversight and
d) avoidance of breast feeding. Since an HIV-infected mother’s breast milk contains the virus, she unknowingly infects her newborn as soon as she starts breast feeding. This is the primary method of mother to child HIV virus transmission.

Sunflower Children and Magna Children at Risk are partnering together to start an HIV-Free Baby Initiative.

Magna has developed an innovative process of care within the PMTCT Program (Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission). Presently, the program has been successfully implemented in two countries -Cambodia and Kenya, where they have accomplished a 98% success rate of healthy, HIV-free babies being born and remaining so throughout their first year.

Our goal is to help the countries most affected by the HIV epidemic, where support for pregnant, HIV-positive women is lacking. The overall goals of the HIV- Free Baby Initiative are to promote awareness in these countries so newborn children are free of the HIV virus and to aid family members who are suffering from the virus.

• 200 newborn children and their families