Grahamstown | Wednesday
MDANTSANE medic Dr Costa Gazi said on Tuesday he would continue giving nevirapine to HIV-positive pregnant woman to prevent mother-to-child transmission of the virus and he has ”dared” acting health MEC Max Mamase to do something about it.
Laughing off Mamase’s threat that anyone caught distributing the anti-retroviral drug would be in ”hot water”, Gazi said his organisation Aid Babies Battling Aids (Abba) had issued nevirapine about 150 times in the past year and would continue to do so.
He said Abba would also now offer it to any doctor that needed a supply of the drug.
”He (Mamase) can do absolutely nothing about it. The drug is licensed by the Medicine Control Council and has been for about four years. Any doctor can prescribe it. In fact is clearly unethical for a doctor not to provide it where necessary and inform a patient that it is safe and effective.”
Gazi said Abba also intended to offer triple therapy treatment to HIV-positive mothers soon.
Triple therapy, a ”cocktail” of anti-retroviral drugs, prevents the onset of Aids in people who are HIV-positive.
It will cost Abba about R350 for each woman each month. Gazi said this meant that those mothers whose babies had been saved from the virus by the administration of nevirapine could live to care for them.
”It’s the best answer to preventing these children from becoming orphans.”
He said Abba was also supplying Biozole to clinics and other parties in need of it. Biozole is an anti-fungal agent and a generic of the drug, Fluconozole.
He said that although Fluconozole was supplied free to the state, it was not readily available in clinics and hospitals.
The drug combats opportunistic fungal infections such as thrush, which are common in people living with HIV.
Gazi, who is also the Pan African Congress’s health representative, expressed ”utter disgust at the imbecility” of recent statements on Aids by premier Makhenkesi Stofile and Mamase.
Mamase indicated this week that in only 30% of cases was HIV passed on from mother to child and this could only take place during the birth process. He called for better birthing practices and indicated the province would not expand its nevirapine programme.
Stofile said he supported the view that the provincial government should not expand its nevirapine project until the results from its two pilot sites were available.
”Their misinformation is total,” said Gazi.
”It seems the they want people to believe a whole tissue of lies.”
He said when the placenta began separating shortly before the actual birth there was an inevitable mixing of blood between mother and child.
Another doctor, who cannot be named, confirmed Gazi’s views.
”There is increasing evidence that much of the HIV transmission actually occurs in the period of late pregnancy/early labour at the time when uterine contractions start, and the placenta begins to separate from the uterus wall,” the doctor said.
It was likely a high rate of ”micro-transfusions” occurred at this time between mother and child.
”It seems obvious that this may cause a significant percentage of infection in the babies. No amount of cord clamping and good delivery practice will prevent transmission via this route. The only way in which one will prevent transmission at this stage is the use of anti-retroviral drugs.” – Sapa
From Business Day:
A good plan will iron out the problems with nevirapine February 5, 2002