Journal Article

Improving Men’s Participation in Preventing Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV as a Maternal, Neonatal, and Child Health Priority in South Africa

van den Berg, Wessel, Peacock, Dean, Janson, Hanna, Dubula, Vuyiseka, Stinson, Kathryn, Brittain, Kirsty, Mercer, Gareth

2015

Overview

Summary Points * Involving male partners in programmes to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV may improve programme coverage and infant outcomes. * Rates of male partner involvement remain low worldwide, and detailed guidelines to increase involvement are lacking in South Africa. * We recommend that South African national and provincial guidelines and policies for preventing mother-to-child HIV transmission be adjusted to explicitly include a focus on increasing male partner involvement and that they include concrete descriptions of how to achieve this. * We propose recommendations for improving male partner involvement at a policy, facility, and community level. * Challenges to improving male partner involvement include the nature of relationships and family structures in South Africa and the capacity of health systems to implement recommendations.

• Publisher: Public Library of Science,Public Library of Science (PLoS)
• Subject: Acquired immune deficiency syndrome / AIDS / Child / Child Health / Decision making / Disease transmission / Female / Health aspects / Health Priorities / HIV / HIV infections / HIV Infections - prevention & control / HIV Infections - transmission / Human immunodeficiency virus / Humans / Infant, Newborn / Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical - prevention & control / Interpersonal Relations / Male / Maternal Health / Men / Mother-child relations / Mothers / Policy Forum / Prevention / Sexual Behavior / Sexual Partners / South Africa / Womens health