Born Free of HIV in West Africa

In the United States, every pregnant woman is tested for HIV as part of routine prenatal care. This ensures that if a mother is found to be HIV+, her baby can be given Antiretroviral therapy (ART) which will prevent the baby from becoming HIV+ themselves. ART medication is highly effective and truly lifesaving.

In Mali, only a third of pregnant women are tested for HIV. This can inhibit infants from receiving ART and lead to HIV infection. GAIA Vaccine Foundation is proud to say that Hope Center Clinic tests all women for HIV. In 2004, the clinic became the first health center in Mali to successfully implement a vertical transmission prevention program. Last year, over 1,400 women were tested through this program. 

Building off the strength of the project, GAIA VF has received a grant from ViiV Healthcare and Positive Action to introduce the "Pratt Pouch" to Hope Center Clinic through a pilot project. The Pratt Pouch is a packaging device similar in appearance to a ketchup packet and is designed to preserve ART. The pouch can extend the lifespan of ART for up to 12 months and allows mothers to bring the correct dosage of medication home to their babies. This is especially important in Mali as many mothers give birth at home and do not have access to ART for their infant. The study will assess the feasibility of Pratt Pouch introduction and acceptance in Bamako, Mali. While the device has been tested in other low-resource countries such as Ecuador and Zambia, this will be the first pilot project done in a West African country and a francophone country. 

GAIA is currently working hard to set up the project and expects to launch this pilot program in the fall. Your continued support for the “Born Free of HIV” program is essential in ensuring that all women in Bamako have access to HIV testing. A donation of just $25 supports HIV testing for 5 Malian women. 

We have an exciting new update on Born Free of HIV in West Africa!

We have been awarded a small grant from "ViiV" and Positive Action to explore a new technology for reducing HIV transmission among babies born in Sikoro, Bamako, Mali.

The new technology is a special foil packet (known as a Pratt Pouch) for distributing medications to babies born to HIV positive moms at birth. During this project, we'll formulate HIV prevention medication (provided by the Malian Government) in the Pratt Pouches, that will be distributed (with careful instructions) by midwives who assist HIV-positive moms with home births. The foil packages allow the moms to discretely provide medication to their newborns at home, reducing the need to travel to the local clinic for the life-saving medication.

Your help for this project will enable us to build on and sustain our existing MTCTP program, Chez Rosalie, which was the first vertical transmission prevention program to be implemented at a community clinic in Mali. Building on the strength of Chez Rosalie, we will introduce the Pratt Pouch to pilot and see whether it is well accepted by physicians, moms, and babies. If the pilot project works out, we will make this safe and efficient delivery method for infant antiretroviral treatment (ART) available more widely in Mali. 

To bring this project to fruition, we're working with national and international experts who have piloted the Pratt Pouch in other low-income, high risk countries in Africa and South America. GAIA will share the study results from the Pratt Pouch pilot program with Malian government partners to ensure that results from the study can be used to advocate for improved access to innovative technologies for HIV prevention n Mali.

With your support, we are working hard to make the world free of HIV for the next generation of children! 

Links:

• Our Programs at GAIA Vaccine Foundation