Knowledge and practices of women regarding prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT) in rural southwest Uganda

Abstract

Worldwide, about 3.4 million children aged under 15 years are HIV-infected, with 90% living in Sub-Saharan Africa;1 150 000 of these children are in Uganda. Ninety-five percent of pediatric HIV in Sub-Saharan Africa results from mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) during pregnancy, labor, or with breastfeeding. Prevention measures (PMTCT) can reduce the risk of MTCT,2 but only if women have this knowledge.3–6 Currently, in rural south-west Uganda, information on MTCT and PMTCT is provided to women by local health workers including volunteer village health teams.7 This study explored the knowledge and practices of women in rural south-west Uganda regarding MTCT and PMTCT to determine if women have this needed knowledge.