The South African Council of Churches today called on the National Department of Health to release the long-awaited revised guidelines for the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT).

“We must act swiftly and decisively if we hope to achieve a substantial reduction in the rate of HIV infections by 2011. Preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV would contribute to reaching that goal. The new guidelines promised by the Department of Health are long overdue,” SACC General Secretary Eddie Makue said.

He continued: “Our success as a nation can be measured in part by the way we protect and nurture our children. We owe it to our children to give them a future free of HIV wherever possible. We should be embarrassed that 60 000 children continue to be born with HIV each year, even though we have the technology and the medications to prevent this tragedy.”

South Africa’s health care system is more advanced and better financed than those in neighbouring countries. And yet some countries, such as Lesotho and Botswana, are doing more to ensure that children are born healthy and free from HIV.

The National HIV and AIDS and STI Strategic Plan for 2007-2011 already provides for the upgrading of the current mono therapy (nevirapine alone) to the dual therapy protocol, in keeping with the World Health Organisation’s amended PMTCT guideline of August 2006. However, the failure of the Department of Health to publish and implement procedures for the provision of the dual therapy is costing lives.

“We have been shocked to learn that some provinces do not even seem to be fully implementing the current nevirapine-based PMTCT protocols,” Teboho Klaas, the Director of the SACC’s Health Programme, said. “For example, some clinics in Mpumalanga have reportedly been unable to provide formula for feeding and look unlikely to have sufficient formula before the end of March or April. This is a scandal because it leaves mothers with little option but to mix [breast and formula] feed.”

The SACC, which made its call in support of a Treatment Action Campaign initiative, also urged pregnant women with HIV to join the call for improved transmission prevention protocols and to take full advantage of state services intended to improve their health and protect their children.

For more information, contact: Rev. Teboho Klaas, 076 692 9583