Thailand aims to cut the transmission rate of HIV from mother-to-child to less than 1% within the next three years.
Thai Red Cross Society (TRCS) secretary-general Phan Wannamethee said yesterday health personnel have been working hard to ensure the country will achieve its goal of ending this form of transmission of the as-yet incurable disease.
The country has set an ambitious goal to cut the transmission rate to less than 1% by 2020, he said.
This would be in time to mark the 60th birthday celebrations of Her Royal Highness Princess Soamsawali, Mr Phan added.
Under the patronage of HRH Princess Soamsawali, the TRCS launched an HIV prevention programme from mother-to-child in 1996, aimed at ending the rate of HIV transmission among Thai families and the families of migrant workers in Thailand, he added.
The provinces with the highest HIV rates include Bangkok, Samut Prakan, Chiang Rai, Chon Buri, Chiang Mai, Prachuap Khiri Khan and Surat Thani.
Since the launch of the programme, the TRCS has worked hand-in-hand with the Ministry of Public Health to implement preventive measures and provide education on HIV prevention to pregnant women through several campaigns.
Mr Phan said the programme has helped cut the transmission rate from mother-to-child among Thai people from 10.3% to 1.9% over the past 21 years.
Dr Thongchai Lertwilairatanapong, deputy director-general of the Department of Health under the Ministry of Public Health, said getting below 1% is a challenging goal.
The task requires collaborative efforts from health personnel, expectant mothers and the public in the general, he said. If everything goes smoothly, the rate of this form of transmission should drop to zero in Thailand by 2030, he added.
Dr Thongchai stressed the need to ensure that babies born to an HIV-positive mother receive their milk formula in a timely manner.
An HIV-positive mother can transmit the disease to her baby during pregnancy, vaginal childbirth or through breastfeeding, Dr Thongchai said.
Last June, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/Aids (UNAIDS) announced that Thailand had eliminated the mother-to-child transmission of HIV and syphilis. It issued the news during the United Nations General Assembly High Level Meeting on Ending Aids.
That same year, the TRCS launched an anti-retroviral therapy programme for HIV-positive mothers from Feb 1 to Nov 30 in a bid to reduce the the transmission rate after childbirth, said Assoc Prof Thanyawee Puthanakit, who specialises in paediatric infectious diseases at the Department of Paediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University.
Under the programme, 51 mothers received Raltegravir, which is used to treat HIV infections during pregnancy, Assoc Prof Thanyawee said. Some 43 of the babies were HIV negative for at least the first four months, the results showed.
Expectant mothers with the disease are urged to seek prenatal care from a qualified doctor as early as possible so they can qualify for the programme, Assoc Prof Thanyawee said.