At Bharatpur Hospital, six healthy babies have been born in the past 10 months from HIV-positive mothers. The hospital reports that mothers who regularly take medication and use safe delivery services can give birth to HIV-free babies.
Doctors say that careful feeding and treatment significantly reduce the risk of HIV transmission from mother to child.
Dr. Sunilmani Pokharel, head of the maternity department at Bharatpur Hospital, noted that babies born via cesarean section have a very low risk of infection.
Mothers on medication reduce the chance of transmitting HIV to their child by up to 90%. However, prolonged or difficult labor may increase the risk slightly.
According to Krishnahari Sapkota, program coordinator at the Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) Centre, run by AIDS Health Care Foundation (AHF) Nepal at Bharatpur Hospital, 13,088 pregnant women have been tested for HIV in the last 10 months, with only two positive cases detected.
Patients from 11 districts, including Chitwan, regularly come to the center for treatment. HIV-positive patients from Tanahun, Gorkha, Lamjung, Dhading, Makwanpur, Nawalpur, Nawalparasi, Bara, Parsa, and Dhading receive medication and specialized care such as cesarean delivery and MRI services.
Currently, 1,104 HIV-positive patients are on medication, including 45 children. Patients range from 45-day-old infants to 85-year-old seniors.
Regular medication improves health. Among patients on ART, 97.60% have reached a state where transmission is unlikely. Patients with fewer than 1,000 virus copies are very unlikely to develop HIV/AIDS.
Since January 2022, 27 new HIV cases have been confirmed in the district. Community testing confirmed 2 out of 124, and ART center testing confirmed 25 out of 111. This year, 116 new patients have started ART therapy. Patients must take one tablet daily, and the center provides medication for 1–3 months at a time depending on their condition.
Among HIV-positive women in the district, 39 have been screened for cervical cancer, and 86% are enrolled in free health insurance. Many patients travel to India for work, and HIV has also been observed among sex workers, clients, transgender individuals, sexual minorities, and drug users.
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