AFRICA: Reproductive rights of HIV-positive women ignored

Most HIV/AIDS mother-to-child transmission prevention campaigns have focused on the potential danger of HIV infection to the infant and little attention has been given to the mother, according to a new report.

This had diminished the importance of women's health, particularly when so little was known about the effects of pregnancy on the health of women living with HIV/AIDS, a briefing paper by the Centre for Reproductive Law and Policy (CRLP) said.

According to the international NGO, policies aimed at curbing MTCT could also hold women solely accountable for their child's HIV infection, disregarding the role that men played in preventing the transmission of HIV to children.

"Singling out mothers and ignoring fathers poses the added risk of alienating women who, to avoid blame and stigma, may forgo treatment that could improve their health and reduce the risk of transmission," the report said.

While decreasing MTCT was an important goal, campaigns also had to take into account the woman's health, it noted.

Current debates on the use of infant formula or breast milk also ignored the role of HIV-positive women. International guidelines recommend that HIV-positive women "be empowered to make fully informed decisions about infant feeding [through counselling about the risks and advantages of breastfeeding] and that they be suitably supported in carrying them out."

But research was still needed to assess the impact of breastfeeding on the health of HIV-positive mothers, the report said.

Though little discussed, the high-energy demands and sleep deprivation associated with infant care, including breastfeeding, were factors that undermined the already weakened immune systems of HIV-positive women, it added.

For more on the report: http://www.crlp.org/pub_art_hiv.html