AIDS Activists Commend, Criticize Uganda’s Option B+ Implementation

“Uganda has gotten plenty of kudos and some criticism over its roll out of the new antiretroviral therapy for pregnant women and their babies, known as Option B+,” Inter Press Service reports. “Recommended by the [WHO] in June 2012, Option B+ consists in life-long provision of [antiretroviral (ARV)] therapy to pregnant women regardless of their CD4 count,” the news service writes and summarizes comments from AIDS activists, who “welcomed the roll out but voiced some concerns.” According to IPS, the International Community of Women Living with HIV/AIDS in Eastern Africa (ICWEA) said in a statement, “We strongly support Option B+ … But we are gravely concerned … about two major early challenges, loss to follow-up and weak engagement of communities, which will lead to weak demand for this service” (Michael, 11/27).

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