The AIDS Healthcare Foundation has conducted training sessions for women living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus in the Federal Capital Territory on preventing the transmission of the virus to infants. The initiative falls under the Mentor Mother program, aimed at preventing Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV.
During a one-day workshop held for participants from all six area councils of the FCT, Dr. Echey Ijezie, the organization’s Country Director, emphasized the importance of training mentor mothers and Traditional Birth Attendants in HIV prevention for infants.
Statistics from the National Agency for the Control of AIDS reveal that more women are living with HIV in Nigeria than men. Young Nigerian women are three times more likely to have HIV compared to men in the same age group. Additionally, six out of every ten individuals living with HIV in the country are females.
Mentor Mothers, who are HIV-positive women trained to collaborate with health workers and educators, play a crucial role in educating and empowering pregnant women and new mothers about health issues.
Dr. Ijezie expressed the organization’s goal of creating a network of mentor mothers across various states, ensuring that HIV-positive pregnant women receive necessary prevention, treatment, and care services to safeguard their babies from HIV transmission.
The training extended to mentor mothers in various states, including Anambra, Nasarawa, Benue, Kogi, Cross River, and FCT, focusing on providing support and guidance to HIV-positive women to overcome stigma and access healthcare services.
Advocacy and Marketing Manager of AHF Nigeria, Steve Aborisade, emphasized the importance of HIV testing during antenatal care to ensure early detection and immediate treatment for pregnant women who test positive, thus preventing HIV transmission to their newborns.
Christy Awunor, the AHF State Nursing Coordinator, highlighted the supportive role of mentor mothers in antenatal care, HIV testing, and treatment services for newly diagnosed HIV-positive pregnant women, stressing the importance of their efforts in eliminating mother-to-child HIV transmission.
Grace Ungbian, one of the newly appointed mentor mothers, shared her successful experience of preventing HIV transmission to her children by following medical advice and treatment protocols. She encourages other pregnant women to undergo testing and seek necessary healthcare services.