Prevention of Mother-to-Child HIV Transmission in Resource-Poor Countries: Translating Research Into Policy and Practice

Article Abstract:

Mother-to-child transmission of HIV during birth can be prevented. Research has shown that pregnant HIV-infected women who take the AIDS drug AZT can reduce their risk of transmitting the virus to their baby by up to 70%. However, most of the 590,000 babies who acquire HIV infection from their mothers live in developing countries. Many of these countries cannot afford to buy AIDS drugs. Preventing HIV infection in young women may be the most cost-effective strategy for these countries.

HIV (Viruses), HIV

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Preventing perinatal HIV infection: how far have we come?

Article Abstract:

Preventing perinatal HIV infection appears to be feasible but much research is needed to determine how to implement prevention programs. HIV transmission during pregnancy has infected more than 15,000 children and 3,000 have died. In Feb 1994, the AIDS Clinical Trials Group Protocol 076 found that pregnant women who took zidovudine perinatally and during labor could significantly reduce the risk of transmitting the virus to their baby. A huge public relations campaign was begun to encourage all pregnant women to be tested and to offer them zidovudine if they tested positive. A 1996 study from North Carolina found that 75% of pregnant women who tested positive in 1994 agreed to take zidovudine, reducing the risk of HIV transmission from 21% in 1993 to 9% in 1994. But another 1996 study from a large urban hospital in New York found that only 49 of 125 HIV-infected women were identified prenatally and many refused to complete zidovudine treatment. Drug addiction was significantly associated with noncompliance.

Editorial

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Cost-effectiveness of short-course zidovudine to prevent perinatal HIV type 1 infection in a sub-Saharan African developing country setting

Article Abstract:

Giving pregnant HIV-infected women a 2- to 6-week course of zidovudine late in pregnancy may not be cost-effective in many parts of Africa. The cost of treating these women would amount to $1,115 for every perinatal HIV infection prevented. The cost of testing, counseling and drugs would be approximately $20 per pregnant woman, which is considerably more than many developing countries spend on health care per person. However, the savings in lost productivity and the reduced spread of other diseases linked with AIDS could result in societal savings.

Economic aspects, Drug therapy, Developing countries

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