To enable universal access to prevention and care, Congo decreed in 2007 that, screening,
laboratory tests and ARV treatment are free. But this life-saving measure, which significantly
improved the survival of infected people, is affected by the non-inclusion of prescribed drugs
to treat opportunistic infections.
Prevention of mother to child transmission
In order to reduce the incidence of mother to child transmission, Congo has established by
Presidential Decree, the Project on the Prevention of the transmission of HIV from mother to
child (PMTCT). To date, the activities of the PMTCT are still evolving in projects form
despite efforts by the government to incorporate screening for pregnant women in all
departments.
According to data from the PNLS, as at September 30, 2012, nearly 50% of facilities
providing ANC have staff trained to offer screening to pregnant women. The proportion of
pregnant women receiving ANC who knew their HIV status varies from less than 50%
(Brazzaville, Pointe Noire, Niari and Plateaux) to over 70% in the Cuvette-Ouest (84%), the
Pool (78%) and the Cuvette (74%). In facilities that offer screening and care for HIV-positive
pregnant women, the rate of transmission of HIV from mother to child is less than 2%.
With this, Congo has just approved the elimination of Elimination of mother to child
transmission Plan for 2013-2017 period. The plan, which aims to reduce disparities, is a
significant contribution to improving the health of mother and child. Its objectives are as
follows: i) reducing less than 50% the number of new infections among young people aged
15 to 24; ii) cover at least 85% of the needs not covered by family planning for women with
HIV; iii) reducing to less than 5% the rate of mother to child transmission of HIV; iv)
increase to over 30% the proportion of HIV-positive pregnant women taking ARVs for their
own health and v) increasing to 85% the proportion of HIV-positive children receiving
ARVs.
Paediatric care
Paediatric care is considered since 2009 as a national priority to combat HIV / AIDS. Thus
Congo has bid for and received a grant from the Global Fund under Round 9 for upgrading to
the paediatric care level. Thus the number of HIV-infected children treated increased from
632 in 2008 to 1225 by 30 September 2012.
Youth Prevention
In general, youth engaging in sex life, especially girls, are not equipped to protect themselves
against HIV. According to the ESIS, only 8% of girls have a complete knowledge of HIV /
AIDS, against 22% of boys. To reduce the spread of HIV among young people, Congo
launched a condom social marketing programme, which proposed to set up about 3,000
condom distribution points to cover the entire national territory. To date, approximately 540
distribution points have been created, mostly in large cities.
Two complementary approaches to combat AIDS are rolled out in the school setting: the
curriculum approach (integration of HIV education in school curricula since 2008) and
extracurricular approach through peer education and Social animation. A tutorial for teacher
training was developed (number of trained teachers?).
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