Your daily Selection of IRIN Africa PlusNews reports, 1/28/2004

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U N I T E D N A T I O N S

Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs

Integrated Regional Information Network

CONTENT:

1 - CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC: HIV/AIDS awareness team set up for prisoners

2 - MOZAMBIQUE: Feature - Stigma remains obstacle to HIV treatment

1 - CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC: HIV/AIDS awareness team set up for prisoners

BANGUI, 28 January (PLUSNEWS) - The national anti-HIV/AIDS body in the

Central African Republic (CAR) has set up a unit to conduct awareness

campaigns among prisoners in police jails in the capital, Bangui,

state-owned Radio Centrafrique reported on Tuesday.

" Prisoners often have sexual behaviour with high risks that favour quick

propagation of HIV/AIDS, " Dr. Marcel Massanga, an official of the Comite

National de Lutte contre le Sida, said.

The radio reported that Massanga made the remarks when he took part in the

first HIV awareness campaign in the jail at the Bangui Central Police

Station.

Massanga said that the unit, which falls within the Ministry for Public

Security, would inform prisoners about the risks to which they are exposed

by practising homosexuality.

Police Commissioner Bonaventure Raya, who is also the acting director of

Bangui Central Police Station, told PlusNews on Wednesday that many of the

detainees had been arrested for narcotics-related charges.

Without denying the existence of homosexuality in jails, Raya said that no

prisoner had complained of rape, so far.

Police stations in the CAR serve as prisons, pending the completion of the

rehabilitation of the Ngaragba Central Prison in Bangui. Most of the

police jails are reported to be overcrowded, increasing the chances or

promiscuity and high HIV infection rates.

[ENDS]

2 - MOZAMBIQUE: Feature - Stigma remains obstacle to HIV treatment

MAPUTO, 28 January (PLUSNEWS) - , 24, has three children and is one

month pregnant with her fourth baby, but is adamant that she does not want

to continue with the pregnancy.

" I've got three children already, I'm unemployed, and I am HIV-positive, "

she told IRIN.

Although she and her husband, who is also HIV-positive, were always

careful, " the condom burst once " , resulting in the pregnancy.

took care of her elder sister until she died of an AIDS-related

illness last month, leaving behind four children. During this time she was

often absent from her job as a domestic worker and was eventually

dismissed.

She is also nursing her four-year-old HIV-positive son, who is being

treated for tuberculosis. Her eldest child is HIV-negative and the

youngest, Vanya, is only eight months old and an infant can only be safely

declared HIV-negative after testing at 18 months.

Vanya is probably negative, because participated in a pilot project

to prevent transmission of the HI virus from mother to child (PMTCT) at

the Primiero do Maio health centre, in Malhagalene, a suburb of Maputo,

the capital. It began in June 2002 and is supported by the international

medical NGO, Medecins Sans Frontier (MSF).

During her pregnancy with Vanya, was unaware of her HIV status but,

like all pregnant women attending the clinic, she was counselled about

voluntary HIV testing and the PMTCT project.

" I was in good health, but I thought it was better to know, " she said. " I

was shocked to find out I was HIV positive. "

She has come to terms with the diagnosis with the assistance of

counselling and support from clinic staff.

At the onset of labour she was given the antiretroviral (ARV) drug

nevirapine and after delivery was counselled on infant feeding. She

decided to opt for formula milk, which carries no risk of HIV transmission

and is provided under the MSF project. Eunice Queirpoz dos Santos, a nurse

at the health centre, told IRIN that was a " model beneficiary " .

Of the 233 pregnant women who received counselling about voluntary HIV

testing at the clinic in August 2003, only 12 opted not to be tested.

Thirty of the 45 women who tested HIV-positive joined the PMTCT programme.

Although the uptake of pregnant women in the project bodes well for the

future expansion of ARV programmes, it is too early to evaluate the

results.

One of the ongoing challenges is the stigma associated with the virus.

Nurse dos Santos points to a box of consultation cards belonging to 28 of

the women benefiting from the project. " The women ask me to keep their

cards, so that their husbands or other family members do not see their

status, " she said.

The choice of infant feeding is also influenced by stigma. Many women

prefer breastfeeding only, because they want to hide their status - they

know if they give their baby infant formula, questions will be asked.

Discrimination does not stop at the family, and even reaches into the

hospital, dos Santos adds. " The women complain that they are treated badly

by the midwife when their status is disclosed. "

When asked how she had coped with the prejudice, said: " Some

neighbours would harass me and say, 'that is the one with AIDS'. At first

I was a bit beaten down, but now I know life goes on. My main concern now

is that I get a job, so I can have money to look after my children. "

[ENDS]

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