Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV/AIDS
Summary
The prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV/AIDS represents a cornerstone in global efforts to eliminate paediatric HIV infection. Transmission may occur during pregnancy, labour, delivery or breastfeeding, and without intervention rates can reach 15–45%. Over recent decades, concerted strategies have dramatically reduced these figures, principally through the expansion of antiretroviral therapy (ART) for pregnant women and infants, optimised antenatal care, and targeted postnatal prophylaxis. Current guidelines advocate universal HIV testing in antenatal clinics, prompt initiation of lifelong ART for all pregnant and breastfeeding women, and adherence monitoring to sustain maternal viral suppression below detectable levels. Combined with safe obstetric practices and infant feeding support, these measures have cut transmission rates to below 5% in many settings. However, challenges remain in ensuring timely treatment initiation, long-term retention in care, equitable access in low-resource contexts and addressing social determinants such as stigma, partner support and health system capacity. Innovations spanning person-centred counselling, decentralised service delivery and mobile health technologies are under evaluation to close persistent gaps and achieve global elimination targets.
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Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV/AIDS publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in prevention of mother-to-child transmission of hiv/aids across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Vertical transmission: The transfer of HIV from a mother to her child during pregnancy, childbirth or breastfeeding.
Antiretroviral therapy (ART): A combination of medications that suppress HIV replication and improve immune function.
Option B+: A public health strategy providing lifelong ART to all pregnant and breastfeeding women living with HIV regardless of clinical stage.
Viral load: The amount of HIV RNA present in a millilitre of blood, used to monitor treatment efficacy.
Postnatal prophylaxis: Preventive antiretroviral treatment given to the newborn to reduce the risk of HIV infection after birth.
References
- Evaluation of person-centered interventions to eliminate perinatal HIV transmission in Kisumu County, Kenya: A repeated cross-sectional study using aggregated registry data. PLOS Medicine (2024).
- Factors associated with vertical transmission of HIV in the Western Cape, South Africa: a retrospective cohort analysis. Journal of the International AIDS Society (2024).
- Adherence to option B + antiretroviral therapy and associated factors in pregnant and breastfeeding women in Sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Public Health (2024).
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