Safe Drinking Water For Households With Infants Born to HIV-Positive Mothers Pilot Study

Safe Drinking Water For Households With Infants Born to HIV-Positive Mothers in Zambia: Piloting a Household Water Treatment Intervention

The purpose of this study is to assess whether children under 2 years and other members of households in which HIV-positive mothers are providing replacement and complementary feeding would potentially benefit from the use of a filter designed to eliminate microbial pathogens from drinking water at the household level.

Contaminated drinking water is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in low-income settings. Safe drinking water is of particular concern for HIV-positive mothers since many HIV-infected Zambian women choose replacement feeding and early cessation of breastfeeding of infants to minimize the risk of transmission of the virus. This study builds upon preliminary baseline research which determined that HIV-positive mothers would potentially benefit from an intervention that encourages HIV-positive mothers to treat their water at the household level.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Known HIV-status based on clinical testing
• Have a child between 6-12 months at the initiation of the study
• Within the catchment area of Kasisi or Ngwerere health clinics, Chongwe district, Lusaka

Exclusion Criteria:

• Lived in the catchment area less than one year or planning to move