The Nyangara health zone, in the Haut-Uele province, faces a prolonged break in HIV/AIDS testing for almost a year. This lack of reagents is accompanied by shortages of drugs intended to prevent the transmission of the mother’s virus to the child, exposing hundreds of pregnant women and their infants at a high risk of contamination.
According to Doctor Didier Amudiandroy, area chief doctor, on the 3,091 women expected in prenatal consultation between July 2024 and June 2025, only 1,671 could be tested. “This situation is very worrying because some children can be born already infected. We have already identified 16 cases of children born from HIV-positive mothers without any adequate follow-up, “he alerted.
The province of Haut-Uele has a prevalence of 7.4 % according to a survey between 2023 and 2024, which strengthens the concerns of health professionals in the face of the potential impact of this supply of supply.
Doctor Amudiandroy calls the health authorities and partners of the National HIV/AIDS program (PNLS) to urgent intervention to restore the stock of reagents and strengthen prevention measures.
Despite the crisis, the Nyangara health area still has antiretrovirals for patients already under treatment. But the immediate recovery of screenings and monitoring of pregnant women remain absolute priorities to contain the risks of new infections.
