KEY POINTS

• IHVN reports over 95 Percent HIV testing acceptance among pregnant women in Rivers State.

• Community engagement and peer mentorship drive strong PMTCT results.

• IHVN expands HIV testing access to rural and riverine communities.

The Institute of Human Virology Nigeria (IHVN) says Rivers State has achieved significant progress in the Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission (PMTCT) of HIV, with more than 95 percent of pregnant women accepting HIV testing between 2020 and 2023.

Project Director of the Rivers ASPIRE Project at IHVN, Dr. Stanley Idakwo, disclosed this in Abuja on Tuesday, noting that the result reflects years of community engagement and consistent mentorship across health facilities in the state.

Idakwo cited data from the District Health Information System showing that HIV testing among pregnant women had remained between 95 percent and 100 percent since 2020 following improved counselling and peer support.

“This achievement is largely driven by effective counselling, strong peer support, and the mentor mother model that encourages adherence and emotional support,” he said. “About 98.6 percent of clients also expressed satisfaction with PMTCT services.”

IHVN addresses challenges to HIV testing access

Despite the progress, Idakwo said barriers persist for some women. “Around 31.7 percent of women cite distance to facilities as a barrier, 20.1 percent mention transportation costs, and 16.5 percent report long waiting times,” he said.

He said they were tackling these challenges through task-sharing among healthcare workers, better case management, and integrating PMTCT with broader maternal and child health services across Rivers State.

“Improved staff attitude and shorter waiting times have encouraged more women to seek antenatal care, ensuring better access to HIV testing and follow-up treatment for both mothers and their babies,” he said.

Idakwo emphasised that while maternal and infant ARV prophylaxis had reduced HIV transmission, uptake of follow-up services such as facility-based deliveries and antiretroviral use during labour still needed strengthening.

“To address this, we’re building the capacity of health workers, improving drug supply chains, and ensuring mentor mothers and midwives jointly monitor pregnant women through delivery and postnatal care,” he said.

IHVN expands PMTCT reach to rural and riverine areas

IHVN, in collaboration with the Rivers State Ministry of Health, is expanding PMTCT services closer to communities, particularly in hard-to-reach rural and riverine areas.

“With PEPFAR-CDC and Global Fund support, we’ve trained more than 400 Traditional Birth Attendants across 319 wards, linking them to 115 facilities under a hub-and-spoke service delivery model,” Idakwo said.

He noted that continuous training for counsellors, expanded PMTCT coverage to more primary healthcare centres, and improved healthcare worker safety remain key to sustaining progress.

“Our ultimate goal is to ensure no child in Rivers State is born with HIV,” he said. “Every pregnant woman deserves quality, stigma-free healthcare regardless of her location or social status.”

Idakwo reaffirmed that the IHVN Rivers ASPIRE Project would continue strengthening community partnerships and supporting Nigeria’s national goal of eliminating mother-to-child HIV transmission through sustained innovation and collaboration.