Kampala — Ninety-three percent of babies born to mothers living with HIV/AIDS in eight sub-counties of Tororo district were saved from getting the disease this year.

The 7% who contracted the disease did so because their mothers were inconsistent in getting health care. An evaluation report on the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV/AIDS revealed this.

The project coordinator, Dr. Alex Kakala, said on Friday that the five-year project cost about sh3b. It was launched in 2005 and ended last month. The project was undertaken by Plan International.

Kalala said this while presenting the evaluation report to stakeholders at Rock Hotel in Tororo. Sub-counties that benefited from the project were Mukujju, Osukuru, Mella, Molo, Kisoko, Kwapa and Merikit.

Dr. Kakala said 189 pregnant mothers were put on the health care after they were found to be HIV positive. The health officer of Tororo, Dr. David Okumu, explained that the health care services were provided to mothers living with HIV/AIDS when their pregnancies were between 28-38 weeks old.

"Consistency is required from the time a mother begins the health care up to the time of delivery, lest the child is infected," he said. Plan International Tororo branch manager Augustine Enyipu said since the programme had ended, the organisation would donate equipment and properties worth sh700m to the health department of Tororo.

Among the equipment that has been donated is the HIV/AIDS CD4 count machine, estimated to cost over sh100m. The other property included vehicles.