Due to the chronic shortage of health personnel, nurses and midwives now play a fundamental role in the care and treatment of people living with HIV/ AIDS (PLHIV) in Cameroon. This study was therefore designed to assess the level of knowledge, attitude and practice with regard to care of PLHIV among nursing and midwifery students in Fako division of Cameroon. A survey was performed between May and July 2015, among 227 nursing and midwifery students (in their second to final year of study), selected from 8 government accredited training institutions in Fako division of Cameroon. An anonymous self-administered semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect data. The Pearson's chi-square test, univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses adjusting for possible confounders were all performed as part of the statistical analyses. The cutoff of statistical significance was set at p ≤ 0.05. Nursing and midwifery students had a moderate level of HIV/AIDS knowledge (average score of 7.02 on a scale of 11). Attitude towards PLHIV was generally positive (68.7%) but there were some misconceptions and prejudice about PLHIV, with considerable stigmatization (31.3%), unwillingness to share a room with someone infected with HIV (27.7%), and unwillingness to work on PLHIV (23.8%). Good HIV/AIDS knowledge was observed to be the sole independent predictor (p = 0.004) of positive attitude towards PLHIV. Fur- 2 thermore the confidence of the respondents regarding care of PLHIV was generally moderate. Our results suggest the need for the development of a more appropriate education program in nursing and midwifery institutions in Fako division to reduce the discrepancies between the general knowledge, attitude and practice regarding care of PLHIV.

Background: Mother to child transmission (MTCT) of HIV constitutes a major source of new pediatric infections in Cameroon. Objective: The aim of this implementation research was to assess outcomes and effectiveness of providing lifelong antiretroviral therapy (ART) for HIV-positive pregnant and breastfeeding women (Option B+). Methods: From October 2013 to July 2014, HIV-positive pregnant and breastfeeding women, not on antiretroviral (ARV) prophylaxis and ART, were recruited from 22 purposefully selected health facilities in the Northwest and Southwest regions for a prospective, observational cohort evaluation. Option B+ was offered to participants and outcome indicators were measured. Results: Out of 680 women eligible for this assessment, 669 (98%) were initiated on Option B+. Retention-in-care was 90% (95% CI, 87.85-92.61) and 79% (95% CI, 75.20-81.88), and loss to follow up (LTFU) was 7% (95% CI: 4.95-8.90) and 15% (95% CI: 12.06-17.56) at 6 and 12 months respectively. Maternal mortality at 12 months after ART initiation was 2% (13). As of March 2015, 538 HIV exposed infants