HIV and AIDs transmission to newborn babies rise: Calls for testing during pregnancy
A health minister says around 2,700 newborns contact HIV each year during childbirth. Officials urge pregnant women and girls to test at clinics and prepare for a cervical cancer vaccine push.
Health officials say HIV and AIDs transmission from mother to baby during childbirth is happening at a level that demands urgent prevention.
The concern was raised during the opening of the Jiwaka Provincial Medical Transit Store in Jiwaka last week by the Minister for Health and HIV AIDs, Elias Kapavore, alongside his role as Member for Pomio District.. According to Kapavore, about 2,700 newborn babies contact HIV and AIDs every year through transmission involving blood and other bodily fluids during childbirth.
The minister’s message focused on stopping avoidable infections before labour begins.. He appealed directly to mothers and girls to check their HIV and AIDs status at the nearest clinics during pregnancy, arguing that early knowledge allows for timely action that can reduce the risk of the virus passing from a pregnant woman to her baby.
Kapavore also broadened the warning beyond HIV and AIDs, pointing to cervical cancer as another “silent and deadly killer” affecting women.. He said cervical cancer kills, on average, at least four women every day, and framed prevention as a national responsibility rather than a single-health-issue problem.
His comments came as the government prepares a wider prevention effort aimed at girls.. Kapavore said that this year the National Government, through the National Department of Health, will roll out a Public Health Vaccine Program for girls aged 9 to 18.. The plan, he said, is to target 900,000 girls to protect them from cervical cancer.
Several parts of the announcement are worth considering together.. HIV and AIDs prevention during pregnancy relies on access to testing, counselling, and clinical support.. Cervical cancer prevention relies on reaching eligible girls before they are exposed to the virus that can lead to cancer.. Both efforts are prevention-led, but they need different entry points—one through pregnant women and antenatal care, the other through vaccination for school-age girls.
For families, the practical impact is clear: a mother’s decision to test during pregnancy can change what happens at delivery, and a caregiver’s decision to ensure a daughter is vaccinated can reduce future risk.. In communities where travel to facilities is difficult, medical transit arrangements can also play a role in getting patients to care in time, especially around delivery.. That context helps explain why officials used the medical transit store opening to underline prevention messages.
Kapavore’s framing carried an emotional weight—preventing harm to “innocent lives”—but it also pointed to a measurable challenge for the health system.. When transmission occurs during childbirth, it suggests gaps in early detection, follow-up, or delivery preparedness.. Prevention is not only a clinical issue; it also depends on whether people can reach clinics, understand the value of testing and vaccination, and trust that getting support will protect them rather than stigmatize them.
Looking ahead, the government’s vaccine program could strengthen long-term cancer prevention while HIV and AIDs testing campaigns during pregnancy work toward immediate reductions in mother-to-child transmission.. If both streams are implemented consistently—through reliable clinic services, community outreach, and clear guidance—Jiwaka and other provinces could see fewer preventable outcomes over time.. For now, the immediate instruction from Misryoum’s coverage of the minister’s remarks is straightforward: pregnant women and girls should seek HIV and AIDs status checks at local clinics, and eligible girls should be included in the vaccination drive.