image

WHO-CDC-HHS PMTCT Generic Training Package

What We Do › Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV › WHO-CDC-HHS PMTCT Generic Training Package


An increasing number of new HIV infections in Eastern Europe and Central Asia are attributable to sexual transmission. In Russia, for example, 6 percent of new HIV infections reported in 2001 were due to unprotected sex, but by 2004, that number increased to 25 percent. A similar trend is evident throughout the region, with a third of all new HIV cases reported in 2004 in Kazakhstan and Ukraine, and nearly half of the new cases reported in Belarus and Moldova, attributed to sexual transmission.

A concurrent feminization of the epidemic has resulted in a marked increase in mother-to-child transmission of HIV in much of the region. More than 13,000 children in Russia and 10,000 in Ukraine have been born to HIV-positive women. These patterns clearly illustrate the critical need for addressing vertical transmission on a national and regional level.

AIHA—with support from USAID and in close cooperation with WHO and UNICEF—in 2004-2005 adapted and translated the WHO/HHS/CDC PMTCT Generic Training Package (GTP) to assist countries in the former Soviet Union with scaling up national PMTCT programs. Other strategic partners for this project include the Francois-Xavier Bagnoud Center (FXBC) at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey and leading experts and stakeholders from countries in Eastern Europe and Central Asia.

This regional effort is fostering the development of national PMTCT policies and goals, national PMTCT capacity building strategies, local pilot projects that can serve as centers of PMTCT excellence and models for replication, and training centers and programs that can provide both knowledge-based and clinical-based training.

The GTP is a comprehensive, evidence-based PMTCT training course specifically developed for use in resource-constrained settings. The GTP is the result of a multi-year collaboration between WHO, CDC, and other key international agencies and is rooted in proven adult education methodology. The 32-hour curriculum—which consists of nine modules, each with a summary as well as problem-solving and role-playing exercises—is designed for training physicians, nurses, and allied caregivers working in primary care facilities, maternity hospitals, and AIDS centers. Packages for particular countries include a collection of national policies and regulations related to HIV/AIDS and PMTCT.

The purpose of the GTP is to:

  • Provide an overview of the fundamental principles of a sustainable PMTCT program.
  • Provide healthcare workers with the knowledge and skills they need to deliver basic PMTCT services.
  • Provide flexibility for integrating country-specific PMTCT policies and procedures.
  • Provide a mechanism for human capacity building required to support PMTCT service delivery programs.


At the onset of the project in October 2004, AIHA conducted a working group of its strategic partners and other stakeholders, as well as local and national officials from Kazakhstan, Russia, and Ukraine, to review the GTP and assess its potential for building human resource capacity building in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. The meeting was also a forum for building consensus on the adaptation and roll-out process for the region.

The participants agreed on a 13-step adaptation process.

Evaluation of the results of pre- and post-tests administered to gauge participant knowledge indicates that the adapted GTP and training methodology are effective at improving PMTCT knowledge and skills. Test scores increased by an average of 22 percent across all sites, with individual trainings resulting in increases that ranged from 17-52 percent.


« Go Back