THE WELLNESS CLINIC OPERATES FROM 08.OOHRS -13.OOHRS AND 14.00HRS-17.00HRS FROM
MONDAY TO FRIDAY.THERE ARE TWO FULLTIME PROFFESSIONAL NURSES AND A PART-TIME DOCTOR,
TWO COUNSELLORS AND TWO CARERS.WHEN PREGNANT MOTHERS COME TO THE WELLNESS CLINIC
THEY GO THROUGH CONSELLING AND TESTING FOR HIV.ONCE A PREGNANT WOMAN TESTS HIV
POSITIVE SHE IS REFERRED TO THE PROFFESSIONAL NURSE FOR FURTHER COUNSELLING AND
EXAMITION.BLOODS ARE ALSO DRAWN TO CHECK THE LEVEL OF CD4 COUNT BEFORE THEY START ON
ANTERETROVIRALS[ARVS]SHE THEN RETURNS AFTER A WEEK FOR CD4 RESULTS.IF CD4 IS GREATER
THAN 350 THE PREGNANT WOMAN STARTS ON MONOTHERAPY TYPE OF ARVS ZIDOVUDINE[AZT] AT 14
WEEKS GESTATION AND IF CD4 IS LESS THAN 350 THE WOMAN STARTS TIPPLE THERAPY LIFELONG ARVS
AT 20 WEEKS OF GESTATION.ADHERENCE COUNSELLING IS DONE TO MAKE SURE THEY UNDERSTAND
PROPERLY WHY THEY NEED TO BE COMPLIANT i.e.TO PREVENT INFECTING THEIR UNBORN BABIES.
PREGNANT MOTHERS ARE EDUCATED ON DIFFERENT TYPES OF FEEDING OPTIONS AND ARE FREELY
GIVEN CHANCE TO CHOOSE ON HOW THEY WILL FEED THEIR BABIES.
CURRENTLY WE ENCOURAGE PREGNANT MOTHERS TO EXCLUSIVELY BREAST FEED FOR SIX MONTHS,
AND THEN GRADUALLY STAR T GIVING THEIR BABIES EXTRA FOODS.BREASTFEEDING IS ENCOURAGED AS
IT CONTAINS ALL THE NUTIRENTS AND VITAMINS,IT IS CHEAPER AND ACCESSIBLE COMPARED TO
FORMULA.
A RISK OF HIV TRANSMISSSION TO THEIR BABIES IS CLEARLY EXPLAINED.
AT DELIVERY A BABY IS GIVEN NEVIRAPINE FROM BIRTH AND AT SIX WEEKS A PCR BLOOD TEST IS DONE
AND IF RESULT IS NEGATIVE BABY STOPS TAKING NEVIRAPINE.A RAPID HIV BLOOD TEST IS REPEATED
WHEN BABY REACHES EIGHTEEN MONTHS OLD.IF PCR RESULT IS POSITIVE BABY IS COMMENCED ON
LIFELONG ARVS IMMEDIATELY.

MOTHERS WHO TESTED HIV POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE
OCTOBER 2012: TESTED 70, POSITIVE 20 AND NEGATIVE 50
NOVEMBER 2012: TESTED 43 POSITIVE 14 AND NEGATIVE 29
DECEMBER 2012: TESTED17, POSITIVE 4 AND NEGATIVE 13
JANUARY 2013: TESTED 67, POSITIVE 24 AND NEGATIVE 43
FEBRUARY2013: TESTED 6O, POSITIVE 17 AND NEGATIVE 43
MARCH 2013: TESTED 63, POSITIVE 23 AND NEGATIVE 40
OUT OF THE ABOVE STATISTICS EIGHTEEN MOTHERS DELIVERED HEALTHY BABIES WHO TESTED PCR
NEGATIVE AT SIX WEEKS.
BABY GIRL BORN ON 16 TH NOVEMBER 2012[4 MONTHS OLD],WAS ADMITTED IN A GOVERNMENT
HOSPITAL DUE TO HAVING DIARRHOEA AND PNEUMONIA,BABY IS ON LIFELONG ARVS SINCE
15/01/2013.MOTHER NEVER TOOK HER ARVS CORRECTLY WHEN SHE WAS PREGNANT .BABY IS
LOOKING MUCH BETTER AND HAS HAD IMMUNISATIONS FROM THE CLINIC.
BABY GIRL BORN 26/06/2012[9 MONTHS OLD],WAS ALSO ADMITTED IN A GOVERNMENT HOSPITAL DUE
TO CHRONIC DIARRHOEA AND PNEUMONIA.MOTHER IS A TEENAGER 19 YEARS OLD WAS ALSO NON
COMPLIANT TO ARVS WHEN PERGNANT.BABY IS ON ARVS SINCE 8TH OCTOBER 2012 AND SHE IS
LOOKING MUCH BETTER AND GROWING WELL.
BABY GIRL BORN 20/04/2011 WAS CHRONICALLY ILL WITH EAR INFECTION,DIARRHOEA AND LOSS OF
WEIGHT.MOTHER NEVER TOOK HER ARVS CORRECTLY WHEN PREGNANT.BABY WAS COMMENCED ON
ARVS ON 11/09/2012 AND MOTHER NEVER GAVE HER BABY ARVS AND DEFAULTED WELLNESS
APPOINTMENTS.IN JANUARY 2013 BABY GOT VERY SICK AGAIN AND WAS ADMITTED AT OUR HOSPICE
DAY CARE WHERE SHE WAS FED WELL AND RESTARTED ARVS ON 05/02/2013,BABY NOW LOOKS MUCH
BETTER AND CAN WALK AND GAINING WEIGHT.MOTHER ALSO WENT THROUGH ADHERENCE
COUNSELLING AND SHE ALSO STARTED TAKING LIFELONG ARVS,SHE IS ALSO HAPPY AND THANKFUL TO
OUR STAFF FOR SUPPORTING HER AND THE BABY,SHE NOW UNDERSTANDS THE IMPORTANCE OF
GIVING AVRS CORRECTLY TO HER BABY.SHE IS BEEN MONITORED DAILY FOR ADHERENCE BY OUR
CARERS.

TO ENCOURAGE PREGNANT WOMEN TO COME FOR HIV TEST AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE.
TO REDUCE HIV TRANSMISSION TO UNBORN BABIES BY EDUCATING MOTHERS ON THE IMPORTANCE OF
TAKING ARVS CORRECTLY.
TO REDUCE MATERNAL MORTALITY RATE BY PROVIDING ARVS TO PREGNANT MOTHERS WHO TESTED
HIV POSITIVE.
SHORTAGE OF FORMULA MILK IN GOVERNMENT CLINICS MAY CAUSE BABIES TO BECOME
MALNOURISHED.
POOR ADHERENCE RISKS TO TRANSMISSION OF HIV TO UNBORN BABIES.
LACK OF UNDERSTANDING IN SOME MOTHERS MAY LEAD TO DEFAULTING ARVS.
LARGE NUMBERS OF PREGNANT MOTHERS ARE COMING TO TEST FOR HIV.
EARLY COMMENCEMENT OF ARVS HAS HELPED TO REDUCE HIV TRANSMISSION TO UNBORN BABIES.
ALL PREGNANT WOMEN ARE EDUCATED ON HIV RELATED TOPICS TO ENSURE THEY UNDERSTAND THE
IMPORTANCE OF TAKING ARVS CORRECTLY.
AWARENESS CAMPAIGNS HAS ALSO HELPED TO REACH OUT TO PEOPLE WHO LIVE LONG DISTANCES
FROM THE CLINIC TO COME TO TEST FOR HIV AT THE MOBILE CLINIC THAT GOES TO DIFFERRENT FARMS
ON MONTHLY BASIS.
OUR COUNSELLORS AND CARERS ARE TRAINED AND EQUIPPED WITH KNOWLEDGE ON HOW TO
EDUCATE PREGNANT MOTHERS TO KNOW THEIR STATUS AND IMPORTANCE OF TAKING ARVS
CORRECTLY.