Mother to Child HIV Transmission

ABSTRACT

Mother-to-Child Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Transmission is the largest source of HIV infection among children below 15 years of age. On a global scale; children are being infected at the rate of one child every minute of everyday. World Health Organisation estimated that 600;000 children World Wide were born with HIV infection in 1999 of whom 90were born to mothers from Sub-Saharan Africa. Babies acquire the virus during pregnancy; in labour (the vast majority of cases) and during breastfeeding. The possibility of a baby born to HIV infected mother acquiring HIV infecvtion is 15-25in developed countries and 25-45in developing countries. This difference is accounted for by a number of factors including breastfeeding and nutrition. HIV infection is a fatal disease with no apparent cure. If left unchecked; it is bound to abolish all the gains in child survival registered through the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) in Africa. Up to recent years; Primary HIV prevention and use of contraceptives to stop infected women becoming pregnant have been the only means for prevention of Mother to Child HIV transmission (MTCT). With better understanding of the mechanism and methods of Mother to Child HIV transmission; more and better scientific methods of prevention of Mother to Child HIV Transmission have been developed. The future generation of children could be protected from HIV infection with rapid implementation of effective; economical and simple strategies for prevention of MTCT