“I will leave the baby with my mother”: Long‐distance travel and follow‐up care among<scp>HIV</scp>‐positive pregnant and postpartum women in South Africa

Abstract

We identified frequent travel in the peripartum period with substantial differences in travel patterns by site. Participants more frequently discussed seeking care for the infant than for themselves. HIV-exposed children often were left in the care of family members in distant areas. Our results show the frequent mobility of women and infants in the peripartum period. This underscores the challenge of ensuring a continuity of HIV care in a fragmented healthcare system that is not adapted for a mobile population.