Maputo — The German company Boehringer Ingelheim is to make available in Mozambique, free of charge, the anti- retroviral drug Nevirapine, which can avoid the vertical transmission of the HIV virus from mother to baby.
The communications officer for the Maputo office of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), Michael Klaus, told AIM that the German company made the offer two years ago to all developing countries, including Mozambique. But one of the pre-requisites for introducing treatment with nevirapine is the creation of appropriate conditions in the country's hospitals. They must be equipped to administer this drug, and to inform pregnant women and their families of the advantages of using it.
In the initial phase, the drug will be made available in Beira central hospital, in Sofala province, and in the Manica provincial hospital in the city of Chimoio. Manica and Sofala are two of the provinces with the highest rates of HIV infection.
Somewhat later, nevirapine will also be administered in the provincial hospital in Gaza, in the south of the province. HIV infection has been rising alarmingly in Gaza, and this is believed to be due to the large number of Gaza men who migrate to work on the mines and farms of South Africa.
UNICEF is supporting the Mozambican Health Ministry in dealing with all the paper work related to this issue. Klaus said the idea is to start nevirapine treatment this year.
The drug has been shown to cut by half the number of babies who are infected by their HIV-positive mothers. It thus reduces dramatically the chances of babies falling ill with AIDS.
"We think this project should be extended to the entire country", said Klaus. "This drug is accessible and easily administered. One dose is given to the mother before the child is born, and a second is given to the baby immediately after birth".
One of the constraints on introducing such drugs in developing countries is the fragility of the health care network, and the lack of qualified staff.
Among UNICEF's current priorities is to improve the conditions for children orphaned because their parents have died of AIDS. About 25 per cent of the UNICEF budget in Mozambique now goes on the HIV/AIDS programme.
