INTRODUCTION Antiretroviral therapy and prophylaxis during the antepartum, intrapartum and postpartum periods, cesarean delivery and avoidance of breast milk significantly reduce vertical transmission of HIV. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effectiveness prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV and determine the rate of vertical transmission in a public sexually transmitted infection and H...

In a prospective study of 101 mother-child pairs in Jamaica, we examined the association of provirus load in breast milk and the risk of mother-to-child transmission of human T lymphotropic virus type I. The provirus load in breast milk was a strong predictor of risk of transmission to children (relative risk, 2.34/quartile), after adjustment for other known risk factors. The risk of transmissi...

BACKGROUND Children attending child care centers have high rates of cytomegalovirus (CMV) excretion. Women exposed to such children have an increased risk of acquiring CMV infection, and primary infection places the offspring of such women at risk of congenital CMV infection. We studied family child care homes to determine if this child care alternative might represent a safe haven from CMV. ...

After reviewing the evidence on the relation of vertical transmission of HIV to stage of infection in the mother, I developed a stochastic model of transmission in which the probability of transmission per week is proportional to the virus load in the mother. The virus load in different stages of the infection is measured by viral RNA levels or tissue culture infectious virus levels in plasma. ...

Vertical transmission of HIV can be reduced, however, anti-HIV therapy and proper prenatal care are not always available to all women who need them. The Bay Area Perinatal AIDS Center (BAPAC) in San Francisco has attacked these issues and has reduced the number of vertical transmissions to virtually zero. BAPAC's comprehensive program of educating pregnant women on treatment options, attending ...

HIV transmission from mother-to-child remains a major cause of infant morbidity and mortality in resource-poor settings. There is consensus that women who need antiretroviral treatment should receive this during pregnancy and beyond, and that an appropriate antiretroviral prophylactic regimen should be given to those who do not yet need ongoing therapy. Infant feeding remains a major source of ...

BACKGROUND Modern treatment of HIV-positive women has reduced the rate of transmission of HIV to their children. The relative importance of different interventions is unclear. We have studied mother-to-child transmission from the start of the Norwegian epidemic in 1983 and up to the year 2000. MATERIAL AND METHODS Retrospective study of risk factors in HIV-positive women and children of HIV-p...