• Emily Namara-Lugolobi, Zikulah Namukwaya, Maxensia Owor, Joseph Ouma, Joyce Namale-Matovu, Clemensia Nakabiito, Christopher Ndugwa, Mary Glenn Fowler, and Phillipa Musoke.
• Makerere University-Johns Hopkins University Research Collaboration.
• Afr Health Sci. 2022 Aug 1; 22 (Spec Issue): 22-33.

BackgroundOver 90% of new paediatric HIV infections are acquired through mother to child transmission. Prevention of mother to child HIV transmission (PMTCT) research in sub-Saharan Africa informed WHO guidelines which enabled implementation of PMTCT programs globally.ObjectivesTo describe Makerere University-Johns Hopkins University (MU-JHU) perinatal HIV prevention research and implementation of the Mulago National Referral Hospital (MNRH) PMTCT program.MethodsPerinatal HIV prevention studies conducted at MU-JHU between 1997-2016 were summarized. Program aggregated data was extracted and analyzed using STATA 15.ResultsIn 1999, the HIVNET 012 study demonstrated that single-dose nevirapine (sdNVP) to the mother at onset of labor and to her newborn, reduced MTCT by nearly 50%. In 2016, the PROMISE study documented the safety and efficacy of ART during pregnancy and breastfeeding period. Program implementation at MNRH started in 2000. Uptake of HIV testing increased from 70% to 99% from 2006 onwards. sd NVP was the initial ARV regimen but by 2012, MOH recommended Option B+(triple therapy). MTCT rates reduced from 16.9% in 2001 to 2.3% in 2020.ConclusionPerinatal HIV prevention clinical trials conducted at MU-JHU provided evidence to inform WHO PMTCT guidelines. MNRH program evaluation demonstrated the significant decline in MTCT rates over the last two decades.© 2022 Namara-Lugolobi E et al.

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