Mixed-methods cross-sectional study of the prevention of vertical HIV transmission program users unaware of male partner's HIV status, in six South African districts with a high antenatal HIV burden.

BACKGROUND: Elimination of vertical HIV Transmission (VHT) and maternal deaths are global health priorities. Male involvement is one of the most important factors that influences women's decisions, including the uptake of Prevention of vertical HIV transmission (P-VHT). We sought to understand not knowing a male partner's HIV status (MPHIVs) amongst women using services to prevent vertical HIV transmission in six South African districts with high antenatal HIV burden. METHODS: A mixed-methods cross-sectional study was conducted in six South African districts, and data collected through face-to-face interviews with women and focus group discussions (FGDs) with women or male partners. The quantitative data were analyzed using STATA SE-17.0 and an inductive approach was used for qualitative data analysis. RESULTS: Overall, 28.7% of women were unaware of their MPHIVs, while 25.3% and 46.0% knew the MPHIVs was positive or negative, respectively. In multivariable logistic regression, single marital status and unplanned pregnancy increased the odds of not knowing a MPHIVs while a woman's disclosure of her HIV status to the male partner reduced the odds. FDGs highlighted complexities around MPHIVs disclosure, e.g., reluctance to test for HIV and potential interventions including healthcare worker (HCW) assisted HIV disclosure. CONCLUSION: User-informed interventions to address MPHIVs non-disclosure amongst women of child-bearing age, particularly those at risk of unstable sexual partners and unplanned pregnancies, should be strengthened.

Health facility users' knowledge, perceptions, and practices about infant feeding in the context of option B+ in South Africa: a qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: HIV and sub-optimal infant feeding practices remain important threats to child growth, development, and survival in low- and middle-income countries. To our knowledge, few studies have explored health service users' perspective of infant feeding in the context of WHO Option B+ policy to prevent vertical HIV transmission (PMTCT). This paper is a sub-analysis of qualitative data from a mixed-methods multi-level process evaluation of Option B+ implementation in South Africa (SA). In this study we explored health facility users' infant feeding knowledge, perceptions, and practices one year after SA adopted the 2016 updated World Health Organization prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV Option B+ infant feeding guidelines. METHODS: Nineteen focus group discussions (FGDs) were held with six groups of men and women whose infants were aged < 6 months. Participants were attending randomly selected primary health care facilities within six purposively selected priority districts. The six groups included in the FGDs were: (i) adolescent girls and young women living with HIV (WHIV), (ii) adolescent girls and young women not living with HIV (WNHIV), (iii) older postnatal WHIV (iv) older postnatal WNHIV (v) pregnant women, and (vi) men. Data collection took place between April and December 2018. Data analysis involved coding and thematic framework analysis. RESULTS: Women and men have suboptimal knowledge of the recommended breastfeeding duration and exclusive breastfeeding, especially for HIV-exposed infants. Most women received sub-optimal infant feeding counselling and mixed messages from health care workers. Fewer WHIV initiated breastfeeding at birth compared to WNHIV. Most parents believed that HIV-exposed infants should be breastfed for 6 months and many postnatal women on antiretroviral drugs and younger mothers lacked confidence to breastfeed beyond 6 months. Mixed feeding was predominant among all women due to individual, family, and socio-structural barriers. Many men were supportive on infant feeding; however, they lacked the appropriate information and skills to influence their partners' infant feeding decisions. CONCLUSIONS: Differences in breastfeeding practices between WHIV and WNHIV are highly influenced by the lack of knowledge of infant feeding policy recommendations. Multiple-level factors deter many mothers from adhering to recommended guidelines. Appropriate ongoing infant feeding counselling and breastfeeding support are required for women and their partners.

Investigating the quality of HIV rapid testing practices in public antenatal health care facilities, South Africa.

Monitoring HIV prevalence using antenatal HIV sentinel surveillance is important for efficient epidemic tracking, programme planning and resource allocation. HIV sentinel surveillance usually employs unlinked anonymous HIV testing which raises ethical, epidemiological and public health challenges in the current era of universal test and treat. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that countries should consider using routine prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT) data for surveillance. We audited antenatal care clinics to assess the quality of HIV rapid testing practices as the first step to assess whether South Africa is ready to utilize PMTCT programme data for antenatal HIV surveillance. In 2017, we conducted a cross-sectional survey in 360 randomly sampled antenatal care clinics using the adapted WHO Stepwise-Process-for-Improving-the-Quality-of-HIV-Rapid-Testing (SPI-RT) checklist. We calculated median percentage scores within a domain (domain-specific median score), and across all domains (overall median percentage scores). The latter was used to classify sites according to five implementation levels; (from 0:<40% to 4: 90% or higher). Of 346 (96.1%) facilities assessed, an overall median percentage score of 62.1% (inter-quartile range (IQR): 50.8-71.9%) was obtained. The lowest domain-specific median percentage scores were obtained under training/certification (35% IQR: 10.0-50.0%) and external quality assurance (12.5% IQR: 0.0-50.0%), respectively. The majority (89%) of sites had an overall median score at level 2 or below; of these, 37% required improvement in specific areas and 6.4% in all areas. Facilities in districts implementing the HIV Rapid Test Quality Improvement Initiative and supported by the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) had significantly higher median overall scores (65.6% IQR: 53.9-74.2%) (P-value from rank sum test: <0.001) compared with non-PEPFAR-supported facilities (56.6% IQR:47.7-66.0%). We found sub-optimal implementation of HIV rapid testing practices. We recommend the expansion of the PEPFAR-funded Rapid Test Continuous Quality Improvement (RTCQI) support to all antenatal care testing sites.

Impact of breastfeeding, maternal antiretroviral treatment and health service factors on 18-month vertical transmission of HIV and HIV-free survival: results from a nationally representative HIV-exposed infant cohort, South Africa.

BACKGROUND: We analysed the impact of breastfeeding, antiretroviral drugs and health service factors on cumulative (6 weeks to 18 months) vertical transmission of HIV (MTCT) and 'MTCT-or-death', in South Africa, and compared estimates with global impact criteria to validate MTCT elimination: (1) <5% final MTCT and (2) case rate ≤50 (new paediatric HIV infections/100 000 live births). METHODS: 9120 infants aged 6 weeks were enrolled in a nationally representative survey. Of 2811 HIV-exposed uninfected infants (HEU), 2644 enrolled into follow-up (at 3, 6, 9, 12, 15 and 18 months). Using Kaplan-Meier analysis and weighted survey domain-based Cox proportional hazards models, we estimated cumulative risk of MTCT and 'MTCT or death' and risk factors for time-to-event outcomes, adjusting for study design and loss-to-follow-up. RESULTS: Cumulative (final) MTCT was 4.3% (95% CI 3.7% to 5.0%); case rate was 1290. Postnatal MTCT (>6 weeks to 18 months) was 1.7% (95% CI 1.2% to 2.4%). Cumulative 'MTCT-or-death' was 6.3% (95% CI 5.5% to 7.3%); 81% and 62% of cumulative MTCT and 'MTCT-or-death', respectively, occurred by 6 months. Postnatal MTCT increased with unknown maternal CD4-cell-count (adjusted HR (aHR 2.66 (1.5-5.6)), undocumented maternal HIV status (aHR 2.21 (1.0-4.7)) and exclusive (aHR 2.3 (1.0-5.2)) or mixed (aHR 3.7 (1.2-11.4)) breastfeeding. Cumulative 'MTCT-or death' increased in households with 'no refrigerator' (aHR 1.7 (1.1-2.9)) and decreased if infants used nevirapine at 6 weeks (aHR 0.4 (0.2-0.9)). CONCLUSIONS: While the <5% final MTCT target was met, the case rate was 25-times above target. Systems are needed in the first 6 months post-delivery to optimise HEU health and fast-track ART initiation in newly diagnosed mothers.

Breastfeeding advice for reality: Women's perspectives on primary care support in South Africa.

Breastfeeding education and support are critical health worker skills. Confusion surrounding infant feeding advice linked to the HIV epidemic has reduced the confidence of health workers to support breastfeeding. High antiretroviral therapy coverage of breastfeeding women living with HIV, and an Infant Feeding policy supportive of breastfeeding, now provides an opportunity to improve breastfeeding practices. Challenges remain in restoring health worker confidence to support breastfeeding. This qualitative study presents findings from focus group discussions with mothers of young infants, exploring their experiences of health worker breastfeeding counselling and support. Analysis followed the thematic framework approach. Six researchers reviewed the transcripts, coded them independently, then jointly reviewed the codes, and agreed on a working analytical framework. Although mothers received antenatal breastfeeding messages, these appeared to focus rigidly on the importance of exclusivity. Mothers described receiving some practical support with initiation of breastfeeding after delivery, but support and advice for post-natal breastfeeding challenges were often incorrect or absent. The support also ignored the context in which women make infant feeding decisions, including returning to work and pressures from family members. Despite improved breastfeeding policies, restoring confidence in health workers to support breastfeeding remains a challenge. The post-natal period, when mothers experience breastfeeding difficulties, is particularly critical, and our findings reinforce the importance of continuity of care between communities and health facilities. This research has implications for how health workers are trained to support breastfeeding. Greater attention is needed on developing skills and confidence in identifying, assessing, and supporting women experiencing breastfeeding challenges.

Longitudinal adherence to maternal antiretroviral therapy and infant Nevirapine prophylaxis from 6 weeks to 18 months postpartum amongst a cohort of mothers and infants in South Africa.

BACKGROUND: Despite improved policies to prevent mother-to-child HIV transmission (MTCT), adherence to maternal antiretroviral therapy (ART) and infant Nevirapine prophylaxis (NVP) is low in South Africa. We describe ART adherence amongst a cohort of HIV-positive mothers and HIV-exposed but uninfected infants from 6 weeks until 18 months post-delivery and identify risk factors for nonadherence. METHODS: Data were collected in 2012-2014 through a nationally representative survey of PMTCT effectiveness. Mother-infant pairs were enrolled during the infant's first immunization visit at 6 weeks. Mothers and HIV-exposed infants (2811 pairs) were followed to 18 months at 3-month intervals. Mothers who self-reported being on ART at 6 weeks postpartum (N = 1572 (55.9%)) and infants on NVP at 6 weeks (N = 2370 (84.3%)) were eligible for this analysis and information about their adherence was captured at each interview they attended thereafter. We defined nonadherence within each 3-month interval as self-report of missing > 5% of daily ART/NVP doses, estimated adherence using a Cox survival curve with Andersen & Gill setup for recurring events, and identified risk factors for nonadherence with an extended Cox regression model (separately for mothers and infants) in Stata 13. Results are not nationally representative as this is a subgroup analysis of the follow-up cohort. RESULTS: Amongst mothers on ART at 6 weeks postpartum, cumulative adherence to maternal ART until 18 months was 63.4%. Among infants on NPV at 6 weeks postpartum, adherence to NVP was 74.5%.. Risk factors for nonadherence to maternal ART, controlling for other factors, included mother's age (16-24 years vs. ≥34 years, adjusted Hazard Ratio (aHR): 1.9, 95% CI: 1.4-2.5), nondisclosure of HIV status to anyone (nondisclosure vs. disclosure: aHR: 1.7, 95% CI: 1.3-2.1), and timing of ART initiation (initiated ART after delivery vs. initiated ART before delivery: aHR: 1.6, 95% CI: 1.3-2.0). Provincial variation was seen in nonadherence to infant NVP, controlling for other factors. CONCLUSION: Maintaining ART adherence until 18 months postpartum remains a crucial challenge, with maternal ART adherence among the six week maternal ART cohort below 65% and infant NVP adherence among breastfeeding infants in this cohort below 75%.This is gravely concerning, given the global policy shift to lifelong ART amongst pregnant and lactating women, and the need for extended infant prophylaxis amongst mothers who are not virally suppressed. Our findings suggest that young mothers and mothers who do not disclose their status should be targeted with messages to improve adherence, and that late maternal ART initiation (after delivery) increases the risk of maternal nonadherence.

Factors associated with non-attendance at scheduled infant follow-up visits in an observational cohort of HIV-exposed infants in South Africa, 2012-2014.

BACKGROUND: Since 2001 the South African guidelines to improve child health and prevent vertical HIV transmission recommended frequent infant follow-up with HIV testing at 18 months postpartum. We sought to understand non-attendance at scheduled follow-up study visits up to 18 months, and for the 18-month infant HIV test amongst a nationally representative sample of HIV exposed uninfected (HEU) infants from a high HIV-prevalence African setting. METHODS: Secondary analysis of data drawn from a nationally representative observational cohort study (conducted during October 2012 to September 2014) of HEU infants and their primary caregivers was undertaken. Participants were eligible (N = 2650) if they were 4-8 weeks old and HEU at enrolment. All enrolled infants were followed up every 3 months up to 18 months. Each follow-up visit was scheduled to coincide with each child's routine health visit, where possible. The denominator at each time point comprised HEU infants who were alive and HIV-free at the previous visit. We assessed baseline maternal and early HIV care characteristics associated with the frequency of 'Missed visits' (MV-frequency), using a negative binomial regression model adjusting for the follow-up time in the study, and associated with missed visits at 18 months (18-month MV) using a logistic regression model. RESULTS: The proportion of eligible infants with MV was lowest at 3 months (32.7%) and 18 months (31.0%) and highest at 12 months (37.6%). HIV-positive mothers not on triple antiretroviral therapy (ART) by 6-weeks postpartum had a significantly increased occurrence rate of 'MV-frequency' (adjusted incidence rate ratio, 1.2 (95% confidence interval (CI), 1.1-1.4), p < 0.0001). Compared to those mothers with ART, these mothers also increased the risk of '18-month-MV' (adjusted odds ratio, 1.3 (CI, 1.1-1.6), p = 0.006). Unknown infant nevirapine-intake status increased the rate of 'MV-frequency' (p = 0.02). Mothers > 24 years had a significantly reduced rate of 'MV-frequency' (p ≤ 0.01) and risk of '18-month-MV' (p < 0.01) compared to younger women. Shorter travel time to health facility lowered the occurrence of 'MV-frequency' (p ≤ 0.004). CONCLUSION: Late initiation of maternal ART and infant prophylaxis under the Option- A policy and extended travel time to clinics (measured at 6 weeks postpartum), contributed to higher postnatal MV rates. Mothers older than 24 years had lower MV rates. Targeted interventions may be needed during the current PMTCT Option B+ (lifelong ART to pregnant and lactating women at HIV diagnosis) to circumvent these risk factors and reduce missed visits during HIV-care.

Adolescent Access to Care and Risk of Early Mother-to-Child HIV Transmission.

PURPOSE: Adolescent females aged 15-19 account for 62% of new HIV infections and give birth to 16 million infants annually. We quantify the risk of early mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of HIV among adolescents enrolled in nationally representative MTCT surveillance studies in South Africa. METHODS: Data from 4,814 adolescent (≤19 years) and 25,453 adult (≥20 years) mothers and their infants aged 4-8 weeks were analyzed. These data were gathered during three nationally representative, cross-sectional, facility-based surveys, conducted in 2010, 2011-2012, and 2012-2013. All infants were tested for HIV antibody (enzyme immunoassay), to determine HIV exposure. Enzyme immunoassay-positive infants or those born to self-reported HIV-positive mothers were tested for HIV infection (total nucleic acid polymerase chain reaction). Maternal HIV positivity was inferred from infant HIV antibody positivity. All analyses were weighted for sample realization and population live births. RESULTS: Adolescent mothers, compared with adult mothers, have almost three times less planned pregnancies 14.4% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 12.5-16.5) versus 43.9% (95% CI: 42.0-45.9) in 2010 and 15.2% (95% CI: 13.0-17.9) versus 42.8% (95% CI: 40.9-44.6) in 2012-2013 (p < .0001), less prevention of MTCT uptake (odds ratio [OR] in favor of adult mothers = 3.36, 95% CI: 2.95-3.83), and higher early MTCT (adjusted OR = 3.0, 95% CI: 1.1-8.0), respectively. Gestational age at first antenatal care booking was the only significant predictor of early MTCT among adolescents. CONCLUSIONS: Interventions that appeal to adolescents and initiate sexual and reproductive health care early should be tested in low- and middle-income settings to reduce differential service uptake and infant outcomes between adolescent and adult mothers.

Enhancing HIV Treatment Access and Outcomes Amongst HIV Infected Children and Adolescents in Resource Limited Settings.

Introduction Increasing access to HIV-related care and treatment for children aged 0-18 years in resource-limited settings is an urgent global priority. In 2011-2012 the percentage increase in children accessing antiretroviral therapy was approximately half that of adults (11 vs. 21 %). We propose a model for increasing access to, and retention in, paediatric HIV care and treatment in resource-limited settings. Methods Following a rapid appraisal of recent literature seven main challenges in paediatric HIV-related care and treatment were identified: (1) lack of regular, integrated, ongoing HIV-related diagnosis; (2) weak facility-based systems for tracking and retention in care; (3) interrupted availability of dried blood spot cards (expiration/stock outs); (4) poor quality control of rapid HIV testing; (5) supply-related gaps at health facility-laboratory interface; (6) poor uptake of HIV testing, possibly relating to a fatalistic belief about HIV infection; (7) community-associated reasons e.g. non-disclosure and weak systems for social support, resulting in poor retention in care. Results To increase sustained access to paediatric HIV-related care and treatment, regular updating of Policies, review of inter-sectoral Plans (at facility and community levels) and evaluation of Programme implementation and impact (at national, subnational, facility and community levels) are non-negotiable critical elements. Additionally we recommend the intensified implementation of seven main interventions: (1) update or refresher messaging for health care staff and simple messaging for key staff at early childhood development centres and schools; (2) contact tracing, disclosure and retention monitoring; (3) paying particular attention to infant dried blood spot (DBS) stock control; (4) regular quality assurance of rapid HIV testing procedures; (5) workshops/meetings/dialogues between health facilities and laboratories to resolve transport-related gaps and to facilitate return of results to facilities; (6) community leader and health worker advocacy at creches, schools, religious centres to increase uptake of HIV testing and dispel fatalistic beliefs about HIV; (7) use of mobile communication technology (m-health) and peer/community supporters to maintain contact with patients. Discussion and Conclusion We propose that this package of facility, community and family-orientated interventions are needed to change the trajectory of the paediatric HIV epidemic and its associated patterns of morbidity and mortality, thus achieving the double dividend of improving HIV-free survival.

Strategies to improve male involvement in PMTCT Option B+ in four African countries: a qualitative rapid appraisal.

BACKGROUND: The World Health Organization recommends that antiretroviral therapy be started as soon as possible, irrespective of stage of HIV infection. This 'test and treat' approach highlights the need to ensure that men are involved in prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission (PMTCT). This article presents findings from a rapid appraisal of strategies to increase male partner involvement in PMTCT services in Uganda, Democratic Republic of Congo, Malawi, and Côte d'Ivoire in the context of scale-up of Option B+ protocol. DESIGN: Data were collected through qualitative rapid appraisal using focus groups and individual interviews during field visits to the four countries. Interviews were conducted in the capital city with Ministry of Health staff and implementing partners (IPs) and at district level with district management teams, facility-based health workers and community health cadres in each country. RESULTS: Common strategies were adopted across the countries to effect social change and engender greater participation of men in maternal, child and women's health, and PMTCT services. Community-based strategies included engagement of community leaders through dialogue and social mobilization, involving community health workers and the creation and strengthening of male peer cadres. Facility-based strategies included provision of incentives such as shorter waiting time, facilitating access for men by altering clinic hours, and creation of family support groups. CONCLUSIONS: The approaches implemented at both community and facility levels were tailored to the local context, taking into account cultural norms and geographic regional variations. Although intentions behind such strategies aim to have positive impacts on families, unintended negative consequences do occur, and these need to be addressed and strategies adapted.A consistent definition of 'male involvement' in PMTCT services and a framework of indicators would be helpful to capture the impact of strategies on cultural and behavioral shifts. National policies around male involvement would be beneficial to streamline approaches across IPs and ensure wide-scale implementation, to achieve significant improvements in family health outcomes.

An assessment of quality of home-based HIV counseling and testing performed by lay counselors in a rural sub-district of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

HIV counseling and testing (HCT) has been prioritized as one of the prevention strategies for HIV/AIDS, and promoted as an essential tool in scaling up and improving access to treatment, care and support especially in community settings. Home-based HCT (HBHCT) is a model that has consistently been found to be highly acceptable and has improved HCT coverage and uptake in low- and middle-income countries since 2002. It involves trained lay counselors going door-to-door offering pre-test counseling and providing HCT services to consenting eligible household members. Currently, there are few studies reporting on the quality of HBHCT services offered by lay counselors especially in Sub-Saharan Africa, including South Africa. This is a quantitative descriptive sub-study of a community randomized trial (Good Start HBHCT trial) which describes the quality of HBHCT provided by lay counselors. Quality of HBHCT was measured as scores comparing observed practice to prescribed protocols using direct observation. Data were collected through periodic observations of HCT sessions and exit interviews with clients. Counselor quality scores for pre-test counseling and post-test counseling sessions were created to determine the level of quality. For the client exit interviews a continuous score was created to assess how satisfied the clients were with the counseling session. A total of 196 (3%) observational assessments and 406 (6%) client exit interviews were completed. Overall, median scores for quality of counseling and testing were high for both HIV-negative and HIV-positive clients. For exit interviews all 406 (100%) clients had overall satisfaction with the counseling and testing services they received, however 11% were concerned about the counselor keeping their discussion confidential. Of all 406 clients, 393 (96.8%) intended to recommend the service to other people. In ensuring good quality HCT services, ongoing quality assessments are important to monitor quality of HCT after training.

Population-level effectiveness of PMTCT Option A on early mother-to-child (MTCT) transmission of HIV in South Africa: implications for eliminating MTCT.

BACKGROUND: Eliminating mother-to-child transmission of HIV (EMTCT), defined as ≤50 infant HIV infections per 100 000 live births, is a global priority. Since 2011 policies to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT) shifted from maternal antiretroviral (ARV) treatment or prophylaxis contingent on CD4 cell count to lifelong maternal ARV treatment (cART). We sought to measure progress with early (4-8 weeks postpartum) MTCT prevention and elimination, 2011-2013, at national and sub-national levels in South Africa, a high antenatal HIV prevalence setting ( ≈ 29%), where early MTCT was 3.5% in 2010. METHODS: Two surveys were conducted (August 2011-March 2012 and October 2012-May 2013), in 580 health facilities, randomly selected after two-stage probability proportional to size sampling of facilities (the primary sampling unit), to provide valid national and sub-national-(provincial)-level estimates. Data collectors interviewed caregivers of eligible infants, reviewed patient-held charts, and collected infant dried blood spots (iDBS). Confirmed positive HIV enzyme immunoassay (EIA) and positive total HIV nucleic acid polymerase chain reaction (PCR) indicated infant HIV exposure or infection, respectively. Weighted survey analysis was conducted for each survey and for the pooled data. FINDINGS: National data from 10 106 and 9120 participants were analyzed (2011-12 and 2012-13 surveys respectively). Infant HIV exposure was 32.2% (95% confidence interval (CI) 30.7-33.6%), in 2011-12 and 33.1% (95% CI 31.8-34.4%), provincial range of 22.1-43.6% in 2012-13. MTCT was 2.7% (95% CI 2.1%-3.2%) in 2011-12 and 2.6% (95% CI 2.0-3.2%), provincial range of 1.9-5.4% in 2012-13. HIV-infected ARV-exposed mothers had significantly lower unadjusted early MTCT (2.0% [2011-12: 1.6-2.5%; 2012-13:1.5-2.6%]) compared to HIV-infected ARV-naive mothers [10.2% in 2011-12 (6.5-13.8%); 9.2% in 2012-13 (5.6-12.7%)]. Pooled analyses demonstrated significantly lower early MTCT among exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) mothers receiving >10 weeks ARV prophylaxis or cART compared with EBF and no ARVs: (2.2% [95% CI 1.25-3.09%] vs 12.2% [95% CI 4.7-19.6%], respectively); among HIV-infected ARV-exposed mothers, 24.9% (95% CI 23.5-26.3%) initiated cART during or before the first trimester, and their early MTCT was 1.2% (95% CI 0.6-1.7%). Extrapolating these data, assuming 32% EIA positivity and 2.6% or 1.2% MTCT, 832 and 384 infants per 100 000 live births were HIV infected, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Although we demonstrate sustained national-level PMTCT impact in a high HIV prevalence setting, results are far-removed from EMTCT targets. Reducing maternal HIV prevalence and treating all maternal HIV infection early are critical for further progress.

How ready are our health systems to implement prevention of mother to child transmission Option B+?

In January 2015, the South African National Department of Health released new consolidated guidelines for the prevention of mother to child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV, in line with the World Health Organization's (WHO) PMTCT Option B+. Implementing these guidelines should make it possible to eliminate mother to child transmission (MTCT) of HIV and improve long-term maternal and infant outcomes. The present article summarises the key recommendations of the 2015 guidelines and highlights current gaps that hinder optimal implementation; these include late antenatal booking (as a result of poor staff attitudes towards 'early bookers' and foreigners, unsuitable clinic hours, lack of transport to facilities, quota systems being applied to antenatal clients and clinic staff shortages); poor compliance with rapid HIV testing protocols; weak referral systems with inadequate follow-up; inadequate numbers of laboratory staff to handle HIV-related monitoring procedures and return of results to the correct facility; and inadequate supply chain management, leading to interrupted supplies of antiretroviral drugs. Additionally, recommendations are proposed on how to address these gaps. There is a need to evaluate the implementation of the 2015 guidelines and proactively communicate with ground-level implementers to identify operational bottlenecks, test solutions to these bottlenecks, and develop realistic implementation plans.