Hope as more mothers deliver virus-free babies

Beatrice Wambui* fidgets nervously in the Kiambu Level Five Hospital waiting area, her 18-month-old daughter snug in her arms.

The cheerful antics of her five-year-old son, playing nearby, barely register in her mind. Her thoughts are clouded with anxiety.

When she’s finally called into the doctor’s room, Beatrice emerges beaming, tears streaming down her face. Her baby girl has just tested HIV-negative. “I never had peace throughout my pregnancy. But my daughter’s HIV-negative report has wiped away my tears,” she says, her voice trembling.

The 24-year-old hails from Wagige village in Gatundu, Kiambu. She was born with HIV and is orphaned after both her parents succumbed to the disease.

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Despite her fears and challenges, Beatrice always dreamt of having a family. After completing school, she entered a relationship with a man she loved, determined to start the family she had longed for. But she kept her HIV status a secret from her husband, terrified of rejection.

Secretly, she took her Antiretroviral (ARVs) drugs to suppress her viral load, and ensured her children also received treatment and care. “If my husband finds out about my status, he will abuse me and eventually leave me. Something I do not wish on myself and our children,” she confides.

However, determined to prevent transmitting the disease to her baby, Beatrice adhered strictly to her medications, ensuring her viral load remained suppressed. She started attending antenatal clinics, where she received guidance and support. At the clinic, she was paired with a mentor mother, another woman living with HIV, who walked with her through the challenging journey.

Beatrice’s newborn daughter was given prophylaxis at birth and placed on nevirapine, a drug that prevents mother-to-child transmission of HIV. At six weeks, the baby began taking septrin to ward off opportunistic infections and the first HIV test at six months came out negative, as did follow-up tests at 12 and 18 months, all turning negative. “I’m overjoyed to have HIV-negative children,” Beatrice tells The Standard, her face lighting up.

Beatrice’s story is one of triumph and hope. It reflects the experiences of countless mothers across Kenya who, with access to proper care and treatment, have delivered HIV-negative babies despite their own positive status.

Kenya’s efforts to combat mother-to-child transmission of HIV align with the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) goal of reducing transmission rates to below five per cent.

Stories, such as Beatrice’s highlight the success of these initiatives and the promise of an HIV-free generation.

Lilian Njeri* from Gilgil in Nakuru County is also overjoyed after welcoming twins who tested HIV-negative. She is among thousands of Kenyans benefiting from access to free ARV therapy and comprehensive HIV services, a pivotal development in the fight against HIV.

Through consistent treatment, Lilian has successfully suppressed her viral load, enabling her to give birth to HIV-negative twins.

“I am so happy to have given birth to HIV-negative babies,” she smiles. “I never imagined that one day, I would carry a healthy pregnancy to term and deliver HIV-negative babies,” she continues.

Lilian credits her adherence to ARV therapy for both her survival and the health of her children.

The National Syndemic Disease Control Council (NSDCC), in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and its partners, is working tirelessly to eliminate mother-to-child transmission of HIV.

Over the past decade, NSDCC data shows a notable decline in the mother-to-child transmission rate, from 14 per cent to 7.3 per cent. However, this falls short of the target to reduce the rate to below five per cent by 2023.

Caroline Kinoti, Deputy Director for Health Promotion and Capacity Development, attributed this progress to adherence to HIV prevention measures.

However, she lamented that children are still being born with HIV, underscoring the need for continued efforts. In 2023, approximately 3,700 children were born with HIV, most of them infected during pregnancy or breastfeeding. “It is unacceptable to have any child born with HIV, because we have effective ways to prevent this,” says Caroline.

Kinoti says key interventions to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV, include testing for couples, especially mothers, and enrolling those who test positive into ARVs treatment programmes. Pregnant women are also encouraged to attend antenatal clinics and to deliver in hospitals, reducing the risk of transmitting the virus to their infants.

Dr Japheth Kioko, NSDCC Statistician says out of 46 people newly infected with HIV in Kenya daily, 10 are children aged zero to four years old, most infected during childbirth or breastfeeding.