Appropriate Treatment can Prevent Risk of HIV Transmission from Mother to Child

The authors found that under 10% of pregnant women with HIV in these countries had access to the drugs.


As a result, they calculated, about 1,800 babies were born with HIV each day because their mothers did not get the drugs they need.

Lead researcher Claire Townsend said that for women with access to drugs, the findings were "greatly encouraging".

She said: "They demonstrate that if women are tested for HIV early enough in pregnancy for ART to be initiated, the risk of infection to their baby is very low indeed.

"This emphasizes the importance of achieving and maintaining a high uptake of antenatal HIV testing on a national scale."

Lisa Power, of the HIV charity Terrence Higgins Trust, said: "With the right treatment and relevant support, the vast majority of women living with HIV can have healthy uninfected children.

"This is why testing for HIV in pregnancy is so important and why treatment for pregnant women living with HIV in the UK should always be free, whatever their immigration status."

Source-Medindia
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