PMTCT – Media Watch
Healthy mother-child relationships
In today's society where broken families are rife and the effects of HIV and Aids further complicate family life, a senior lecturer and clinical psychologist at the North-West University (NWU) is doing groundbreaking research that will ultimately assist in bettering the lives of HIV-affected families.
Ruan Spies, of the school for psychosocial behavioural studies on the Potchefstoom campus, was awarded a prestigious doctoral bursary from the Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam in the Netherlands for his pioneering research.
Staunching SA’s pregnancy wound
A Bhekisisa article, "When mother is snatched away, Gogo picks up the pieces" (Mail & Guardian, July 12), highlighted South Africa's unacceptably high maternal death rate.
It also focused on the appalling consequences for families and society as a result of mothers' deaths: "South Africa's maternal mortality rate leaves the elderly to deal with its consequences, with many unable to keep up," the article said.
Transmission of HIV from mums to babies drops
The mother-to-child transmission of HIV has dropped.
Gauteng Health MEC Hope Papo announced this during the tabling of his department's annual report last Friday.
SA’s new highly effective PMTCT guidelines
In the past 12 years, South Africa has shown great progress in the prevention of HIV transmission from mother to child (PMTCT). This success has been in large part due to improvements in anti-retroviral drug choices available and the widespread accessibility to the PMTCT programme.
