Factors Influencing Mother To Child Transmission Of HIV Infection Among Low Income Communities Of Lusaka City – A Case Study Of Railway Health Centre In Lusaka District

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore factors that are contributing to the failure in reducing or eliminating the mother to child HIV and AIDs infection among Low Income Communities of Lusaka City – a Case Study of Railway Health Centre in Lusaka District, despite Ministry of Health efforts to reduce the transmission rates. The problem statement looked at the concern that despite the efforts made by the Ministry of Health to reduce mother-to-child transmission of HIV, the numbers of children born with HIV infection continue to rise in the area of this study, and the records of mortality rates among babies being recorded from HIV- related also continue to rise. The research was conducted covering the catchment area of Railway Clinic of Lusaka with the focus on pregnant mothers regardless of their HIV status, post-natal mothers and mothers bringing children to the Under-five clinic. A case study applied a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods for the data collection using the Key Informant Interviews (KIIs), and a combination of self-administered questionnaire and non-self-administered questionnaire (for those who were not able to read and write), and the questionnaire was analysed using the SPSS, while the interviews were analysed by using the explanatory methods. The purposeful non probability sampling was used. The findings of the research on basic knowledge of HIV and AIDS can be seen to be increasing in most communities, but there is still insufficient knowledge of MTCT among mothers for PMTCT follow-up services, as some of the factors are the perceptions of HIV that encourage stigma and discrimination, with challenges including poor monitoring of PMTCT services by healthcare workers leading to poor retention in care of infected mothers; other measures should include integrating ART services for mothers with maternal and child health services as another simple and highly effective way of retaining mothers in care after they have given birth. More resources should be provided for information dissemination on the importance of PMTCT activities through the use of community participation and should be supported to improve understanding among the pregnant, post-delivery mothers.