"Mother-Baby Packs" to Curb Mother to Child Transmission

via The New York Times, by Nicholas Bakalar

The medicines that prevent the transmission of H.I.V. from mother to child are highly effective when they are used properly — that is, taken at the right time in gestation and in the right doses by both mother and newborn. But in resource-poor countries, mothers often give birth at home and rarely visit health clinics. So the problem is getting the medicines to the mothers and babies who need them, and making sure the doses and timing are right.

Several years ago, health workers in several African countries hit on an idea: The first time a pregnant woman visits a health clinic, she should be tested for H.I.V. If she is positive, give her the medicines that she and her baby will soon need, as she may never return to the clinic.

Clinic workers began packaging the antiretroviral drugs — pills for H.I.V.-infected mothers and liquids for their babies — in paper bags with instructions on how to use them. The Mother-Baby Pack was born.

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