Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre

Published purpose

Some 1.1 million Zimbabweans (out of a population of 13.1 million) are infected with HIV or suffering the effects of AIDS. About 17,000 children are infected with HIV each year, mostly through parent-to-child transmission, and 10,000 children die each year from AIDS; it is the primary cause of death in children under five years of age. This project focuses on improving HIV prevention and care services for babies in two districts in Zimbabwe's Midlands Province through a comprehensive approach that includes HIV testing, family planning, prenatal and postnatal care, breastfeeding practices and drug treatments. Reviving the network of community volunteers known as village health workers and providing them with better support, are important elements of the Ministry of Health's plan to bring essential services closer to families. The project aims to train village health workers to monitor HIV-exposed babies, encourage parents to get tested, and promote methods to reduce HIV risks; train health staff on best practices to prevent mother-to-child HIV transmission and treat HIV positive patients; develop district capacity to track health statistics and manage health care delivery; and raise community leaders' awareness of the various ways people can reduce the risks and impacts of HIV.