Tanzania in 1999 in five pilot sites. They are now offered in over 4,000 health facilities,
though they still reach only a small proportion of the required population.
In Zanzibar, almost all the women (91%) and men 90% were aware of the fact that, the
HIV can be transmitted from the mother to her reborn infant through breastfeeding.
However, only a third of the women and a quarter of the men Interviewed knew that, by
taking ARV medication during pregnancy, an infected mother can substantially lower
the risk of transmitting the Virus to her newborn. Once again figures for Pemba and
Unguja depict a similar scenario- women are more aware then men in general, though
most men and women from Pemba were not well informed on the subject of mother – to
– child transmission.
Table No. 6: Knowledge on Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV/AIDS among
women and men aged 15 -49, 2004 -2005.
HIV can be
transmitted by
Breastfeeding
Risk of MTCT can be reduced
by mother taking HIV special
Drug during pregnancy
%Women
%Men
%Women
%Men
Zanzibar
90.8%
90.3%
33.4%
25.0%
Pemba
87.7%
83.9%
13.0%
11.2%
Unguja
92.2%
93.4%
42.6%
31.7%
Source: NBS, TDHS (2006)
It appears that there is political will to address HIV/AIDS at the highest levels of
Government, but commitment is less strong at the critical levels of the regions and
districts (where implementation takes place). The National AIDS Commission,
TACAIDS, was created in 2001 to coordinate the national response to HIV/AIDS. The
National AIDS Control Programme (NACP), which preceded TACAIDS as the
coordinating body, continues to function under the Ministry of Health, and to administer
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