Improving Women's Uptake and Retention in Option B Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV in Papua, Indonesia

Abstract

Background Mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) accounts for 90% of HIV in children. Globally, HIV has resulted in the deaths of 120,000 children. African countries have reduced MTCT risk from 25-30% to less than 5% through prevention of MTCT (PMTCT) using antiretroviral therapy (ART), elective caesarean section, and replacement feeding. Indonesia implemented PMTCT in 2004, yet the MTCT risk (26.6%) remains the highest in the world. MTCT is the second cause of new HIV infections in Papua, Indonesia. Nearly half of (29,083) HIV-infected people in Papua are women within childbearing age of 15-49 years. Despite the implementation of Option B+ PMTCT in Papua since 2012, new HIV infections in ch..