KAMPALA UGANDA: Mother-to-child transmission of HIV still accounts for about 14 percent of all new HIV infections in Uganda, despite a significant decline in infections among babies.
The Ministry of Health says the mother-to-child HIV transmission rate currently stands at six percent, above the national target of below five percent.
Robert Mutumba, the Programme Manager of the AIDS Control Programme at the Ministry of Health, says more than 107,000 new HIV infections among children have been averted over the years.
He says mother-to-child transmission has also declined by 32 percent since 2010, falling from about 25,000 cases to approximately 4,700 by the end of last year.
However, Mutumba says Uganda has not yet achieved its target of reducing mother-to-child transmission to below five percent. He says the country is now working towards achieving the target by 2030.
Mutumba says breastfeeding remains the biggest challenge, accounting for 61 percent of all mother-to-child HIV transmissions.
He says there are also significant regional differences, with some areas continuing to record higher numbers of babies acquiring HIV from their mothers.
The Ministry of Health, together with UNAIDS and other partners, is implementing an initiative to accelerate the elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV, syphilis and hepatitis B.
Health officials say continued testing, treatment and follow-up of pregnant and breastfeeding mothers will be key to reducing new infections.
