Drug for HIV yields result

Kakinada: Administering three drug formula for pregnant women to prevent transmission of HIV from pregnant women to their infants has yielded good results in East Godavari district. Andhra Pradesh State AIDS Control Society (APSACS) has introduced the drug with a combination of three drugs like Tenofovir-300 mg, Lamivudine-300 mg and Efavirenz-600 mg to prevent the transmission of HIV from mother to infant in September 2012 in the district.

The transmission  could be prevented in 98 per cent of the cases, later studies revealed. In the two per cent of the failures, the studies detected several reasons and in some cases HIV affected women did not take the medicines as was prescribed to them.

According to sources, the authorities identified 212 cases for giving the three combination drug to pregnant women in East Godavari District in 2012, out of which 191 cases were delivered, 170 infants were recorded. When the tests confirmed that 112 infants as HIV negative and were in safe. However, two cases recorded HIV Positive.

According to officials the infants would undergone four tests at the age of six weeks,  six months, 12 and 18 months. Based on the status of the report of the 18th month it will be decided that whether a baby is HIV positive or negative.

“The results are very encouraging. We conducted several training programmes for the medical and health personnel in PHCs, area hospitals and government hospitals and also supplied kits to conduct free deliveries,” said the additional district M&HO Dr. Pawan Kumar.  

District Collector Neethu Prasad presented best services award to ICTC Supervisor A. Bujjibabu for the good results in the district.