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BMJ 2005;331:778 (1 October), doi:10.1136/bmj.331.7519.778
| The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below. |
EDITORSince the efficacy of antiretroviral drugs in preventing HIV transmission from mother to child was first shown, much effort has been devoted in many countries in Africa to implement sustainable regimens.1-4 To identify potential reasons affecting uptake we evaluated the five year performance of a programme at St Francis Hospital Nsambya in Kampala, Uganda. The programme included voluntary counselling and confidential HIV testing for pregnant women and administration of antiretroviral prophylaxis in the peripartum period (zidovudine or nevirapine) for HIV positive women.
Overall 24 133 women received counselling, 76% (18 384) agreed to be tested, and 2011 (10.9%) were HIV positive; 1341 (66.7% of the HIV positive women) were enrolled in the programme and received antiretroviral drugs.
Acceptance of the test increased from 72.7% (9103/12 524) in 2000-2 to 79.9% (9281/11 609) in 2003-4, when a drug access programme became available in the hospital.
Acceptance of the test
Marina Giuliano, researcher
giuliano@iss.it
Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena, 299 00161 Rome, Italy
Michele Magoni, researcher, Luciana Bassani, researcher
Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Viale Regina Elena, 299 00161 Rome, Italy
Pius Okong, obstetrician and gynaecologist, Praxedes Kituka Namaganda, paediatrician
St Frances Hospital Nsambya, PO Box 7146, Kampala, Uganda
Saul Onyango, national coordinator
PMTCT programme Ministry of Health of Uganda, PO Box 7272, Kampala, Uganda