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The risk of HIV transmission from mother to child is most directly related to the plasma viral load of the mother. Untreated mothers with a high (HIV RNA greater than 100,000 copies/mL) have a transmission risk of over 50%. [ 25 ]
HIV can be transmitted from mother to child during pregnancy, during delivery, or through breast milk, resulting in the baby also contracting HIV. [ 18 ] [ 83 ] As of 2008, vertical transmission accounted for about 90% of cases of HIV in children. [ 84 ]
Mother-to-child transmission of HIV globally remains a concern for UNAIDS, which estimates there are 120,000 new infections annually in children aged 14 years and younger around the world, while ...
Although prevention of mother to child transmission (PMTCT) programs have been implemented across different regions, their success in resource-constrained settings is still widely debated upon. [9] In 2008, the majority of sub-Saharan Africa as a whole had an estimate of 430,000 HIV infections among children under the age of 15. [9]
Unite for Children, Unite against AIDS is a global Campaign launched by UNICEF in 2005 to raise awareness of the plight of children globally in relation to HIV and AIDS, and to spur action. Almost every minute of every day, a child dies because of AIDS, and another two young people are infected with HIV. [ 1 ]
HIV is commonly transmitted via unprotected sexual activity, blood transfusions, hypodermic needles, and from mother to child. Upon acquisition of the virus, the virus replicates inside and kills T helper cells, which are required for almost all adaptive immune responses.
Programs to prevent the transmission of HIV from mothers to children can reduce rates of transmission by 92–99%. [47] [57] This primarily involves the use of a combination of antivirals during pregnancy and after birth in the infant but also potentially include bottle feeding rather than breastfeeding.
During 1994 to 1999, AZT was the primary form of prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission. AZT prophylaxis prevented more than 1000 parental and infant deaths from AIDS in the United States. [22]