Born Free of HIV in West Africa

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