26 Aug 2018

A nurse from Boipelego Clinic in Serowe, Mr Patson Harry says government’s target of one per cent mother to child transmission rate was threatened by sero-converting in pregnant women and new mothers.

He said this during the targeted men’s health promotion dialogue in Serowe on August 24.

Sero-converting id the time taken duting which HIV antibodies develop and become detectable .

Although some women register for Ante Natal Class (ANC) on time and test negative for HIV, Mr Harry said what was worrisome was that some of the women’s status change during pregnancy or while breast feeding, an indication that their partners had had unprotected sex.

Mr Harry said it was also worrying that women continued to test alone, though it was ideal for couples to test together.

He said partner testing rate stood at 15 per cent and that there was notable disparity in their ANC records, which showed that men were still dragging their feet to test, yet the men’s HIV status was also an issue of concern.

He said PMTCT was likely to fail due to disobliging male partners. Contrary to their male counterparts, Mr Harry said women surpassed the set targets and were always willing to test.

The health official said while some men were reluctant to test with their partners, some claimed they were negative, yet could not avail their results, putting their partners and unborn babies at risk.

“A pregnant woman is not safe having a partner with unknown HIV status,” said Mr Harry.

He said last year they registered five HIV positive infants and have registered two this year.

Mr Harry encouraged men to support their women during pregnancy in activities such as registering for ANC and testing together.

Doing so, he said, helped in informed decision-making.

He said PMTCT was effective provided people adhered to it.

Some participants felt that it was time government compelled both men and women to test and enroll for PMTCT if they test positive.

Mr Sesiro Raditanka said men’s laxity was noticeable even in support groups since most consisted mostly of women.

He said most men unlike women did not heed their health needs until they were down.

Another participant, Mr Oeme Rantshobotho said most Infectious Diseases Control Centre (IDCC) were patronised by women, yet HIV affected all.

Mr Rantshobotho said men preferred secrecy and were afraid to be seen by familiar faces.

“For a nation to progress it takes sound men and women and it is disturbing to see men neglecting their health,” stated Mr Rantshobotho.

Giving an overview of the dialogue, the moderator, Mr Arnold Sokwa said the intention was to have an HIV free society and ensure all got medication.

He said they wanted to have informed men abreast on issues of sexual transmitted infections and PMTCT among others, hence their decision to reach out to the groups.

Mr Sokwa said it had come to their attention that men hardly visited health facilities, hence they wanted to engage them and ensure they fully participate in health issues and learn how they could protect their families against gender based violence, among other issues. ENDS