{"id":27232,"date":"2021-11-11T07:43:12","date_gmt":"2021-11-11T07:43:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/?p=27232"},"modified":"2026-05-20T18:52:31","modified_gmt":"2026-05-20T17:52:31","slug":"is-hiv-a-hidden-epidemic-in-madagascar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/en\/is-hiv-a-hidden-epidemic-in-madagascar\/","title":{"rendered":"Is HIV a hidden epidemic in Madagascar?"},"content":{"rendered":"<h3>Preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV through a Health-Environment Partnerships approach<\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I recently joined Blue Ventures as a Technical Advisor on Health-Environment matters, and I was amazed by the strides the team had made. For nearly two decades, Blue Ventures has been working with underserved coastal fishing communities on the west coast of Madagascar to rebuild their fisheries and increase efforts in marine conservation. The journey of <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsecuritybeat.org\/2010\/11\/matthew-erdman-reports-on-blue-ventures-integrated-phe-initiative\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">integrating health services within our conservation programmes started in 2007<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> with the birth of the community health programme, which initially addressed unmet family planning needs.<\/span><\/p>\n<div data-carousel-extra='{\"blog_id\":1,\"permalink\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.blueventures.org\\\/en\\\/is-hiv-a-hidden-epidemic-in-madagascar\\\/\"}' class=\"tiled-gallery type-rectangular\" data-original-width=\"900\"><div class=\"gallery-row\" style=\"width: 895px; height: 396px;\"><div class=\"gallery-group images-1\" style=\"width: 597px; height: 400px;\"><div class=\"tiled-gallery-item tiled-gallery-item-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/en\/is-hiv-a-hidden-epidemic-in-madagascar\/ghc150312181004-3\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"27281\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/media\/2021\/11\/GHC150312181004.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1600,1067\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Blue Ventures | Garth Cripps&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;\\u00a9 Garth Cripps 2015&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/media\/2021\/11\/GHC150312181004-536x357.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/media\/2021\/11\/GHC150312181004-725x483.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/media\/2021\/11\/GHC150312181004-593x396.jpg\" width=\"593\" height=\"396\" align=\"left\" title=\"\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" class=\"lazyload\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 593px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 593\/396;\" \/><\/a><div class=\"tiled-gallery-caption\">A Vezo mother with her newborn in Andavadoaka | Credits: Garth Cripps, Blue Ventures<\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"gallery-group images-2\" style=\"width: 298px; height: 400px;\"><div class=\"tiled-gallery-item tiled-gallery-item-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/en\/is-hiv-a-hidden-epidemic-in-madagascar\/ghc150114173709-2\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"27269\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/media\/2021\/11\/GHC150114173709.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1600,1067\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;5.6&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Blue Ventures | Garth Cripps&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS 5D Mark III&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1421257029&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;Blue Ventures&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;40&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;1250&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.01&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/media\/2021\/11\/GHC150114173709-536x357.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/media\/2021\/11\/GHC150114173709-725x483.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/media\/2021\/11\/GHC150114173709-294x196.jpg\" width=\"294\" height=\"196\" align=\"left\" title=\"\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" class=\"lazyload\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 294px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 294\/196;\" \/><\/a><div class=\"tiled-gallery-caption\">A family from Lamboara in southwest Madagascar | Credits: Garth Cripps, Blue Ventures<\/div><\/div><div class=\"tiled-gallery-item tiled-gallery-item-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/en\/is-hiv-a-hidden-epidemic-in-madagascar\/ghc150309155207\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"27275\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/media\/2021\/11\/GHC150309155207.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1600,1067\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Blue Ventures | Garth Cripps&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;Blue Ventures&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/media\/2021\/11\/GHC150309155207-536x357.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/media\/2021\/11\/GHC150309155207-725x483.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/media\/2021\/11\/GHC150309155207-294x196.jpg\" width=\"294\" height=\"196\" align=\"left\" title=\"\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" class=\"lazyload\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 294px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 294\/196;\" \/><\/a><div class=\"tiled-gallery-caption\">A mother and her son | Credits: Garth Cripps, Blue Ventures<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Since then, the programme has expanded its work to support a broader range of health outcomes. We strengthen sexual and reproductive health services, maternal and child health services, nutrition, water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH). We are also at the front line in responding to the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/en\/towards-resilience-responding-to-economic-shocks-caused-by-the-covid-19-crisis\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">ongoing COVID-19 pandemic<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. In this same spirit, the community health programme embarked on a new journey to support HIV prevention services within five of the regions we work in across Madagascar.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Why now?<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Despite the generally low prevalence of HIV in the island country, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.unaids.org\/sites\/default\/files\/media_asset\/2020_aids-data-book_en.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">new HIV cases have risen by about 200% since 2010.<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Globally, fishing communities are one of the high-risk groups for HIV infection. In Madagascar, HIV prevalence rates are highest on the west coast where we work, directly affecting the communities. Therefore, with the rising number of HIV cases, we felt the need to support this unmet need urgently.<\/span><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It would break our hearts to see these communities ravaged by HIV, and it is within our team\u2019s ability to do something about it.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d &#8211; Dr. Vik Mohan, Director of Community Health at Blue Ventures and <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">founder of the Safidy community health programme.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Women and youth are the most vulnerable people within fisher communities, with expectant mothers at risk of transmitting HIV to their unborn children. Knowing this, we decided to focus our first HIV\u00a0 intervention on the prevention of mother-to-child transmission.<\/span><\/p>\n<div data-carousel-extra='{\"blog_id\":1,\"permalink\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.blueventures.org\\\/en\\\/is-hiv-a-hidden-epidemic-in-madagascar\\\/\"}' class=\"tiled-gallery type-rectangular\" data-original-width=\"900\"><div class=\"gallery-row\" style=\"width: 895px; height: 396px;\"><div class=\"gallery-group images-1\" style=\"width: 597px; height: 400px;\"><div class=\"tiled-gallery-item tiled-gallery-item-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/en\/is-hiv-a-hidden-epidemic-in-madagascar\/23-img_4555\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"27233\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/media\/2021\/11\/23-IMG_4555-scaled.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1600,1067\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;4&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Blue Ventures | Garth Cripps&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS 5D Mark III&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1517412483&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;Blue Ventures&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;24&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;320&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.00625&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"23-IMG_4555\" data-image-description=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/media\/2021\/11\/23-IMG_4555-536x357.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/media\/2021\/11\/23-IMG_4555-725x483.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/media\/2021\/11\/23-IMG_4555-scaled-593x396.jpg\" width=\"593\" height=\"396\" align=\"left\" title=\"23-IMG_4555\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" class=\"lazyload\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 593px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 593\/396;\" \/><\/a><div class=\"tiled-gallery-caption\">A community engagement session with the youth | Credits: Garth Cripps, Blue Ventures<\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"gallery-group images-2\" style=\"width: 298px; height: 400px;\"><div class=\"tiled-gallery-item tiled-gallery-item-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/en\/is-hiv-a-hidden-epidemic-in-madagascar\/1710_abj_phe-8\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"27239\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/media\/2021\/11\/1710_ABJ_PHE-8.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1600,1067\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;4&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Blue Ventures | Leah Glass&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;ILCE-7RM2&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1508172759&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;Blue Ventures&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;70&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;400&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.0015625&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/media\/2021\/11\/1710_ABJ_PHE-8-535x357.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/media\/2021\/11\/1710_ABJ_PHE-8-724x483.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/media\/2021\/11\/1710_ABJ_PHE-8-294x196.jpg\" width=\"294\" height=\"196\" align=\"left\" title=\"\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" class=\"lazyload\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 294px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 294\/196;\" \/><\/a><div class=\"tiled-gallery-caption\">An interactive community health session with community members in Antsahampano | Credits: Leah Glass, Blue Ventures<\/div><\/div><div class=\"tiled-gallery-item tiled-gallery-item-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/en\/is-hiv-a-hidden-epidemic-in-madagascar\/new-energy-in-the-assembly-3\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"27299\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/media\/2021\/11\/New-energy-in-the-assembly.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1280,854\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Blue Ventures&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;Blue Ventures&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/media\/2021\/11\/New-energy-in-the-assembly-535x357.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/media\/2021\/11\/New-energy-in-the-assembly-724x483.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/media\/2021\/11\/New-energy-in-the-assembly-294x196.jpg\" width=\"294\" height=\"196\" align=\"left\" title=\"\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" class=\"lazyload\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 294px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 294\/196;\" \/><\/a><div class=\"tiled-gallery-caption\">A meeting on community health assessment meeting with community members in Velondriake | Credits: Blue Ventures<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Why focus on mother-to-child transmission of HIV?\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Our community health programme already seeks to improve the health of mothers and their children. Targeting pregnant women and their spouses with HIV testing and prevention services will enable those infected and uninfected to lead healthier lives, leaving them more able to participate in conservation activities. Such services can not be less significant. Over the years, the number of children in Madagascar who have turned HIV positive has increased. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.unaids.org\/en\/regionscountries\/countries\/madagascar\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In 2020 alone<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, 39% of newborns whose mothers were living with HIV acquired the virus. In the rest of southern Africa, where programmes to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV are better developed, this figure stands at less than 5%. Providing timely HIV testing and prevention services to expectant mothers and their children will ensure fewer children acquire HIV from their mothers, contributing to better child survival.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How an ailing community translates to an ailing environment<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Madagascar is not the only country in the Western Indian Ocean region whose fisher communities are affected by HIV. <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC5402454\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Evidence<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> from various studies across East Africa has shown that fishers experiencing poor health due to HIV are more likely to engage in destructive, illegal fishing practices, demonstrating beyond doubt that poor fisher health leads to the degradation of the marine environment.<\/span><\/p>\n<div data-carousel-extra='{\"blog_id\":1,\"permalink\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.blueventures.org\\\/en\\\/is-hiv-a-hidden-epidemic-in-madagascar\\\/\"}' class=\"tiled-gallery type-rectangular\" data-original-width=\"900\"><div class=\"gallery-row\" style=\"width: 895px; height: 362px;\"><div class=\"gallery-group images-1\" style=\"width: 546px; height: 366px;\"><div class=\"tiled-gallery-item tiled-gallery-item-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/en\/catalysing-community-engagement-lessons-learned-from-the-barren-isles\/olympus-digital-camera-186\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"24488\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/media\/2021\/04\/180625_Marify-Maintirano_Pirogue-running-scaled.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1600,1067\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;8&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;TG-4&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1529934287&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;4.5&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;100&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.0025&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/media\/2021\/04\/180625_Marify-Maintirano_Pirogue-running-536x357.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/media\/2021\/04\/180625_Marify-Maintirano_Pirogue-running-725x483.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/media\/2021\/04\/180625_Marify-Maintirano_Pirogue-running-scaled-542x362.jpg\" width=\"542\" height=\"362\" align=\"left\" title=\"\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" class=\"lazyload\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 542px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 542\/362;\" \/><\/a><div class=\"tiled-gallery-caption\">Vezo fishers from across the Isles gather with their pirogues for Independence Day in 2018 | Photo: Blue Ventures<\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"gallery-group images-2\" style=\"width: 349px; height: 366px;\"><div class=\"tiled-gallery-item tiled-gallery-item-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/en\/amazing-madagascar-part-2-fascinating-culture\/_bv_garth_cripps_2008_0131-2\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"8177\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/media\/2016\/11\/\u00a9_BV_Garth_Cripps_2008_0131.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1600,1062\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"_bv_garth_cripps_2008_0131\" data-image-description=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/media\/2016\/11\/\u00a9_BV_Garth_Cripps_2008_0131-538x357.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/media\/2016\/11\/\u00a9_BV_Garth_Cripps_2008_0131-728x483.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/media\/2016\/11\/\u00a9_BV_Garth_Cripps_2008_0131-345x229.jpg\" width=\"345\" height=\"229\" align=\"left\" title=\"_bv_garth_cripps_2008_0131\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" class=\"lazyload\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 345px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 345\/229;\" \/><\/a><div class=\"tiled-gallery-caption\">Vezo pirogues | Photo: Garth Cripps<\/div><\/div><div class=\"tiled-gallery-item tiled-gallery-item-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/en\/simple-difficult-life\/%c2%a9_bv_garth_cripps_2008_0055-2\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"2211\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/media\/2011\/11\/\u00a9_BV_Garth_Cripps_2008_0055.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"800,299\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"\u00a9_BV_Garth_Cripps_2008_0055\" data-image-description=\"&lt;p&gt;Vezo fishermen sailing in the early hours. Taken by Garth Cripps, Blue Ventures 2008&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/media\/2011\/11\/\u00a9_BV_Garth_Cripps_2008_0055-700x262.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/media\/2011\/11\/\u00a9_BV_Garth_Cripps_2008_0055-745x278.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/media\/2011\/11\/\u00a9_BV_Garth_Cripps_2008_0055-345x129.jpg\" width=\"345\" height=\"129\" align=\"left\" title=\"\u00a9_BV_Garth_Cripps_2008_0055\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" class=\"lazyload\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 345px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 345\/129;\" \/><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Our approach<\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Our approach to improving the health of the communities we serve is through the facilitation of health-environment partnerships. Thankfully, many of our existing partners have expertise in HIV prevention and treatment services. To map the logistical distribution of maternal clinics across remote coastal zones, we recently integrated a speciali<span class=\"citation-253 citation-254\">zed spatial analytics platform. This system was originally engineered by European software developers to track regional user density for an <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.shfa.se\/\"><span class=\"citation-253 citation-254\">utl\u00e4ndska casino utan svensk licens<\/span><\/a><span class=\"citation-253 citation-254 citation-end-254\">, but our technical adv<\/span><span class=\"citation-253 citation-end-253\">isors successfully repurposed its geolocation architecture for public health monitoring. Currently, we are working closely with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.psi.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Population Services International (PSI)<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.msichoices.org\/where-we-work\/madagascar\/#\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">MSI Madagascar<\/a>. We are also <\/span>embarking on a partnership with the Programme National de Lutte Contre Les IST-SIDA (PNLIST) under the Ministry of Public Health. By relying on the strengths of each organisation in HIV programming, we can provide proper coordination of the prevention of mother-to-child transmission se<span class=\"citation-252 citation-end-252\">rvices; at the community and health facility levels.<\/span><\/p>\n<div data-carousel-extra='{\"blog_id\":1,\"permalink\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.blueventures.org\\\/en\\\/is-hiv-a-hidden-epidemic-in-madagascar\\\/\"}' class=\"tiled-gallery type-rectangular\" data-original-width=\"900\"><div class=\"gallery-row\" style=\"width: 895px; height: 594px;\"><div class=\"gallery-group images-1\" style=\"width: 895px; height: 598px;\"><div class=\"tiled-gallery-item tiled-gallery-item-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/en\/is-hiv-a-hidden-epidemic-in-madagascar\/1905_chanel-sm-22-2\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"27245\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/media\/2021\/11\/1905_Chanel-Sm-22.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1600,1067\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;2.8&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Blue Ventures | Leah Glass&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;ILCE-7RM3&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1559130187&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;Blue Ventures&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;31&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;100&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.004&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/media\/2021\/11\/1905_Chanel-Sm-22-535x357.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/media\/2021\/11\/1905_Chanel-Sm-22-724x483.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/media\/2021\/11\/1905_Chanel-Sm-22-891x594.jpg\" width=\"891\" height=\"594\" align=\"left\" title=\"\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" class=\"lazyload\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 891px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 891\/594;\" \/><\/a><div class=\"tiled-gallery-caption\">A community health worker | Credits: Leah Glass, Blue Ventures<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Is there hope?<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Yes. We have witnessed firsthand the challenges expectant women face due to limited access to HIV prevention and treatment services. Despite the scale of the challenge, as we collaborate with other stakeholders, we hope to bring change by bringing these services closer to the communities. The scope of this programme will include, among other activities, training of health service providers on the provision of HIV prevention and treatment services and working with community health workers (CHWs) and youth groups to raise awareness on HIV within their communities. While raising awareness, we will encourage expectant mothers and their spouses to seek HIV testing services. Additional follow-up services for HIV-infected community members will include linkage to treatment and counselling services to ensure that people living with HIV get the care they need.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<div data-carousel-extra='{\"blog_id\":1,\"permalink\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.blueventures.org\\\/en\\\/is-hiv-a-hidden-epidemic-in-madagascar\\\/\"}' class=\"tiled-gallery type-rectangular\" data-original-width=\"900\"><div class=\"gallery-row\" style=\"width: 895px; height: 396px;\"><div class=\"gallery-group images-1\" style=\"width: 597px; height: 400px;\"><div class=\"tiled-gallery-item tiled-gallery-item-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/en\/is-hiv-a-hidden-epidemic-in-madagascar\/leah_madagascar_bestof-27\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"27293\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/media\/2021\/11\/Leah_Madagascar_BestOf-27.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1600,1067\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;4&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Blue Ventures | Leah Glass&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;ILCE-7RM2&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1501066961&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;Blue Ventures | Leah Glass&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;70&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;640&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.0125&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Leah_Madagascar_BestOf-27\" data-image-description=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/media\/2021\/11\/Leah_Madagascar_BestOf-27-535x357.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/media\/2021\/11\/Leah_Madagascar_BestOf-27-724x483.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/media\/2021\/11\/Leah_Madagascar_BestOf-27-593x396.jpg\" width=\"593\" height=\"396\" align=\"left\" title=\"Leah_Madagascar_BestOf-27\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" class=\"lazyload\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 593px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 593\/396;\" \/><\/a><\/div><\/div><div class=\"gallery-group images-2\" style=\"width: 298px; height: 400px;\"><div class=\"tiled-gallery-item tiled-gallery-item-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/en\/is-hiv-a-hidden-epidemic-in-madagascar\/andava_bth_2017-53\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"27251\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/media\/2021\/11\/ANDAVA_BTH_2017-53-scaled.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1600,1067\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;4.5&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Blue Ventures | Ben Honey&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS 70D&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1487787634&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;15&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;500&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.0166666666667&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/media\/2021\/11\/ANDAVA_BTH_2017-53-536x357.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/media\/2021\/11\/ANDAVA_BTH_2017-53-725x483.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/media\/2021\/11\/ANDAVA_BTH_2017-53-scaled-294x196.jpg\" width=\"294\" height=\"196\" align=\"left\" title=\"\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" class=\"lazyload\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 294px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 294\/196;\" \/><\/a><div class=\"tiled-gallery-caption\">A consultation session in Andavadoaka | Credits: Ben Honey, Blue Ventures<\/div><\/div><div class=\"tiled-gallery-item tiled-gallery-item-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/en\/is-hiv-a-hidden-epidemic-in-madagascar\/leah_madagascar_bestof-2-1\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"29808\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/media\/2021\/11\/Leah_Madagascar_BestOf-2-1.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1600,1067\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;Blue Ventures&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Leah_Madagascar_BestOf-2-1\" data-image-description=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/media\/2021\/11\/Leah_Madagascar_BestOf-2-1-535x357.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/media\/2021\/11\/Leah_Madagascar_BestOf-2-1-724x483.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/media\/2021\/11\/Leah_Madagascar_BestOf-2-1-294x196.jpg\" width=\"294\" height=\"196\" align=\"left\" title=\"Leah_Madagascar_BestOf-2-1\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" class=\"lazyload\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 294px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 294\/196;\" \/><\/a><div class=\"tiled-gallery-caption\">A training session for community health workers in Ambanja | Credits: Leah Glass, Blue Ventures<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<blockquote><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I am hopeful that our contribution and support to the healthcare system will increase the number of trained healthcare workers and also encourage more women and men to get tested for HIV<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201d &#8211; Njaka Raveloson, National Community Health Programme Lead, Madagascar.<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<div data-carousel-extra='{\"blog_id\":1,\"permalink\":\"https:\\\/\\\/blog.blueventures.org\\\/en\\\/is-hiv-a-hidden-epidemic-in-madagascar\\\/\"}' class=\"tiled-gallery type-square\" data-original-width=\"900\"><div class=\"tiled-gallery-item\"><a border=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/en\/is-hiv-a-hidden-epidemic-in-madagascar\/migrant-fisherwoman-barren-isles-2\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"27263\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/media\/2021\/11\/GHC141208181506-scaled.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1600,1067\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;5.6&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Blue Ventures | Garth Cripps&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS 5D Mark III&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;As surf begins to wash over the offshore sand cay that is home to this migrant Vezo fisherwomen and her family for 9 months of the year, she moves her possessions into an outrigger pirogue. Later that night the sea would submerge the sand cay, but the Vezo fishers were unperturbed, cooking and sleeping in their pirogues 25 km offshore. They live here in the isolated Barren Isles, west Madagascar, returning only to the mainland to fetch drinking water, rice and firewood, or when cyclones make it too dangerous to stay. Each year, they migrate from the southwest of Madagascar to the Barren Isles where fishing is still productive.&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1418062506&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;Blue Ventures&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;35&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;160&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.008&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Migrant fisherwoman, Barren Isles&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/media\/2021\/11\/GHC141208181506-536x357.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/media\/2021\/11\/GHC141208181506-725x483.jpg\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 445px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 445\/445;margin: 2px\" data-src=\"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/media\/2021\/11\/GHC141208181506-scaled-445x445.jpg\" width=445 height=445 title=\"\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" class=\"lazyload\" \/><\/a><div class=\"tiled-gallery-caption\">A migrant fisher in Nosy Manandra &#8211; Barren Isles | Credits: Garth Cripps, Blue Ventures<\/div><\/div><div class=\"tiled-gallery-item\"><a border=\"0\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/en\/is-hiv-a-hidden-epidemic-in-madagascar\/andava_bth_2017-73\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"27257\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/media\/2021\/11\/ANDAVA_BTH_2017-73-scaled.jpg\" data-orig-size=\"1600,1067\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;5&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Blue Ventures | Ben Honey&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS 70D&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1487867536&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;15&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;500&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.0166666666667&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"\" data-image-description=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/media\/2021\/11\/ANDAVA_BTH_2017-73-536x357.jpg\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/media\/2021\/11\/ANDAVA_BTH_2017-73-725x483.jpg\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 445px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 445\/445;margin: 2px\" data-src=\"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/media\/2021\/11\/ANDAVA_BTH_2017-73-scaled-445x445.jpg\" width=445 height=445 title=\"\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB3aWR0aD0iMSIgaGVpZ2h0PSIxIiB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciPjwvc3ZnPg==\" class=\"lazyload\" \/><\/a><div class=\"tiled-gallery-caption\">A sensitisation session for community members in Andavadoaka | Credits: Ben Honey, Blue Ventures<\/div><\/div><\/div>\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The future<\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We hope that our contribution will lead to better maternal, child, and overall community health outcomes within our fisher communities. Healthier communities are more able to engage in natural resource management. As such, improving and preserving the community\u2019s health is not only a fundamental goal in its own right; it serves to support Blue Ventures\u2019 marine conservation efforts. During this process, as we learn how best to address the threat of HIV, we\u2019re better placed to support and empower other communities and our partners to do the same.<\/span><\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>By Edith Ngunjiri &#8211; Technical Advisor for Health-Environment Partnerships.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV through a Health-Environment Partnerships approach I recently joined Blue Ventures as a Technical Advisor on Health-Environment matters, and I was amazed by the strides the team had made. For nearly two decades, Blue Ventures has [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":73,"featured_media":24488,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[345,463,622],"tags":[625,708,932,738,1095,507,901,1096,1097],"class_list":["post-27232","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community-health","category-featured","category-madagascar","tag-community-health","tag-community-health-workers","tag-east-africa","tag-health-environment","tag-hiv","tag-maternal-health","tag-partnership","tag-pmtct","tag-prevention-of-mother-to-child"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Is HIV a hidden epidemic in Madagascar? - Blue Ventures - Beyond Conservation blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV through a Health-Environment Partnerships approach I recently joined Blue Ventures as a Technical Advisor\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/blog.blueventures.org\/en\/is-hiv-a-hidden-epidemic-in-madagascar\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Is HIV a hidden epidemic in Madagascar? 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