Evaluation of the monitoring of children born to HIV-positive mothers

HIV infection in children is mainly acquired through transmission from mother to child, either during pregnancy, childbirth or breastfeeding. To prevent this infection, it is essential to strictly monitor the mother-child relationship from the first weeks of pregnancy onwards in order to minimise the risk of transmitting the virus to the child. It is also important to monitor the biological status of the exposed child from the first weeks of life, so that HIV infection can be detected as early as possible and the infected child can be properly cared for. This paper presents the results of an evaluation of the follow-up of children born to HIV-positive mothers at Murunda district hospital, where it was found that the majority of exposed children receive regular follow-up in accordance with the national protocol, but that more needs to be done to improve the quality of this follow-up and comply with national guidelines.