In South Africa's richest area, mother-to-baby HIV transmission is a concern despite free prevention

PRETORIA, South Africa (AP) — It's a worrying question for health officials in one of the richest and most developed areas of the African continent: Why are babies being born with HIV when free medication is available to prevent mother-to-child transmission?

In the first half of this year, 232 babies were born with HIV in South Africa's Gauteng region, which includes Johannesburg and the capital of Pretoria and is home to at least 15 million people.

“We do still find it very concerning that in this day and age, with all the preventative programs that’s available free of charge at our clinics, that we are still finding babies testing positive,” said Melanie Langeveldt, the director for primary healthcare programs in Tshwane, which includes Pretoria.

Mother-to-child transmission of HIV globally remains a concern for UNAIDS, which estimates there are 120,000 new infections annually in children aged 14 years and younger around the world, while over 1.3 million children are living with HIV.

South Africa has one of the highest rates of HIV in the world. About 12.7% of its population, or about 7.9 million people, live with HIV. The country has about 150,000 new infections every year.

Pregnant women in South Africa can access HIV testing and antiretroviral therapy free of charge from health facilities.

It is not clear why the more than 200 pregnant women across Gauteng didn't take advantage of the services this year, or why 211 women in the second half of last year didn't either.

Data from South Africa's other regions was not immediately available.

Alarmed health officials believe even one case of mother-to-child HIV transmission is too many, considering the availability of treatment.

“With the medicines and science available today, we can ensure that all babies are born – and remain – HIV-free," UNAIDS executive director Winnie Byanyima said in July, adding that resources must be made available everywhere around the world.

The data in Gauteng shows that many of the mothers who gave birth this year to children with HIV did so in government-run health clinics where the free HIV testing and treatment is available.

At least 55 of the babies born were delivered in Johannesburg, which has 125 of the clinics, and 39 were born in Pretoria, which has 24 of the clinics.

Langeveldt said one contributing factor is the failure of some pregnant women to present themselves at a clinic as soon as they fall pregnant, with some women not aware of their HIV status.

Other pregnant women receive medication but the treatment is interrupted for various reasons including migration. Some pregnant women are infected during pregnancy or breastfeeding. And some women do not stick to the guidelines of continuous and exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months.

Such factors are seen globally in mother-to-child transmission.

Langeveldt said her department is now engaged in widespread campaigns to inform women that mother-to-child transmissions are preventable if the strict treatment offered at clinics is followed.

“We have services. It is free. Please come and present so that we can assist you and prevent this in the future,” she said.

Officials also recommend that new mothers test for HIV every three months while breastfeeding, and that they encourage their partners to test for HIV.

Women who gave birth to babies with HIV would not speak with The Associated Press.

Mapule Radebe is among the women who have benefited from medical treatment to avoid passing on HIV to her children.

In 2015, she tested positive for HIV and was soon receiving antiretroviral treatment. She was concerned about the possibility of having children born with HIV but learned that transmission of the virus could be prevented.

"I took my medication throughout my pregnancy, and after birth I still continued with my treatment. After I gave birth I still continued with my medication and my child was also given medication for the first six months after she was born,” Radebe said.

This year she gave birth to her second child who was also free of HIV.

“To all women out there who are HIV positive and expecting babies, I would urge them to continue taking their treatment throughout their nine months, and continue doing so even after giving birth, for the sake of their children,” said the 35-year-old who currently lives at Nkosi's Haven, a Johannesburg home that assists women with HIV.

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People queue at a government-run health clinic where free HIV testing and treatment is available, in Pretoria, South Africa, Tuesday, July 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Denis Farrell)

Mapule Radebe sits with her daughter Morello, right, and baby Minehle at Nkosi's Haven, a home that assists women with HIV, in Johannesburg, Monday, Aug. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Denis Farrell)

Mapule Radebe holds her baby Minehle at Nkosi's Haven, a home that assists women with HIV, in Johannesburg, Monday, Aug. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Denis Farrell)

BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Three Americans, two Spaniards and a Czech citizen were arrested Saturday after Venezuelan officials accused them of coming to the South American country to assassinate President Nicolas Maduro.

The arrests were announced on state television by Diosdado Cabello, the nation's powerful interior minister. Cabello said the foreign citizens were part of a CIA-led plot to overthrow the Venezuelan government and kill several members of its leadership. In the television program, Cabello showed images of rifles that he said were confiscated from some of the plotters of the alleged plan.

The arrest of the American citizens included a member of the Navy, who Cabello identified as Wilbert Joseph Castañeda Gomez. Cabello said that Gomez was a former navy seal who had served in Afghanistan, Iraq and Colombia. Spain's embassy in Venezuela did not reply to a request for comment on the arrests of its citizens.

The U.S. State Department late Saturday confirmed the detention of a U.S. military member and said it was aware of “unconfirmed reports of two additional U.S. citizens detained in Venezuela.”

“Any claims of U.S. involvement in a plot to overthrow Maduro are categorically false. The United States continues to support a democratic solution to the political crisis in Venezuela,” the statement said.

The announcement of the arrests comes just two days after the U.S. Treasury imposed sanctions on 16 allies of Maduro who were accused by the U.S. government of obstructing voting during the disputed July 28 Venezuelan presidential election, and carrying out human rights abuses.

Earlier this week, Spain's parliament recognized opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez as the winner of the election, angering Maduro allies who called on the Venezuelan government to suspend commercial and diplomatic relations with Spain.

Tensions between Venezuela's government and the U.S. have increased as well following the election, whose result sparked protests within Venezuela in which hundreds of opposition activists were arrested.

Venezuela's Electoral Council, which is closely aligned with the Maduro administration, said Maduro won the election with 52% of the vote, but did not provide a detailed breakdown of the results.

Opposition activists, however, surprised the government by collecting tally sheets from 80% of the nation's voting machines. The tally sheets collected by the opposition were published online, and they indicate that Gonzalez won the election with twice as many votes as Maduro.

Despite international condemnation over the election's lack of transparency, Venezuela's supreme court, which has long backed Maduro, confirmed his victory in August. Venezuela's attorney general then filed conspiracy charges against Gonzalez, who fled to Spain last week after it became clear he would be arrested.

Maduro has dismissed requests from several countries, including the leftist governments of Colombia and Brazil, to provide tally sheets that prove he won the election. Maduro, who has been in power since 2013, has long claimed the U.S. is trying to overthrow him through sanctions and covert operations.

The Maduro administration has previously used Americans imprisoned in Venezuela to gain concessions from the U.S. government. In a deal conducted last year with the Biden administration, Maduro released 10 Americans and a fugitive wanted by the U.S. government to secure a presidential pardon for Alex Saab, a close Maduro ally who was held in Florida on money laundering charges. According to U.S. prosecutors, Saab had also helped Maduro to avoid U.S. Treasury sanctions through a complex network of shell companies.

FILE - Socialist Party President Diosdado Cabello gives his weekly press conference, in Catia La Mar, La Guaira, Venezuela, Aug. 19, 2019. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos, File)

FILE - Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro addresses government loyalists gathered at the presidential palace in support of his reelection one month after the presidential vote, in Caracas, Venezuela, Aug. 28, 2024. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos, File)