South Africa (SA) has the highest number of women infected with HIV and AIDS during pregnancy, which results in more than 70 000 infected babies being born each year AIDS is the major contributor to maternal and child morbidities and mortalities in the country. To combat this, the SA government has developed a national policy to prevent mother-to-child HIV transmission (PMTCT). However, for eff...

BACKGROUND The objective of this review was to assess the uptake of WHO recommended integrated perinatal prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV interventions in low- and middle-income countries. METHODS AND FINDINGS We searched 21 databases for observational studies presenting uptake of integrated PMTCT programs in low- and middle-income countries. Forty-one studies on prog...

BACKGROUND The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) continues to be a major cause of maternal and infant mortality and morbidity in sub-Saharan Africa. Prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT) strategies have proven effective in decreasing the number of children infected in utero, intrapartum and during the breastfeeding period. This qualitative study explores knowledge and perce...

BACKGROUND The use of antiretroviral drugs (ARV) to prevent mother-to-child HIV transmission (PMTCT) promises to be effective. However, limited data on the adverse effects of ARV among pregnant women and pregnancy outcomes have been reported in clinical practice. OBJECTIVES This study aimed to assess adverse effects and outcomes among pregnant HIV-infected women receiving antiretroviral drugs...

The transmission of HIV via breastmilk has led to various recommendations for HIV-infected mothers. In this study, the feeding practices of HIV-infected mothers in the first six months of their infants' lives were evaluated. In total, 103 consecutive mothers of children, aged 6-24 months, were evaluated for their feeding practices in the first six months of their infants' lives. The mothers wer...

We commend Stringer et al. for addressing the importance of developing and implementing a monitoring and evaluation model for measuring the effectiveness of prevention of motherto-child HIV transmission (PMTCT) programmes.1 We also recommend broadening our PMTCT lexicon and developing additional metrics for preventing both HIV acquisition by uninfected women and unintended pregnancies among HIV...

BACKGROUND Despite expanded programs for prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission (PMTCT), HIV-infected infants may not be diagnosed until they are ill. Comparing HIV prevalence and outcomes in infants diagnosed in PMTCT programs to those in hospital settings may improve pediatric HIV diagnosis strategies. METHODS HIV-exposed infants <12 months old were recruited from 9 PMTCT sites in p...

BACKGROUND Websites that address national public health issues provide an important mechanism to improve health education and services in resource limited countries. This article describes the development, promotion and initial evaluation of a national website to increase access to information and resources about prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT) among healthcare workers...

OBJECTIVES To assess knowledge, attitudes and practices regarding infant feeding among HIV-positive pregnant women in Gaborone, Botswana, and factors that influence their infant feeding choices. DESIGN A cross-sectional study. METHODS AND STUDY SETTING A questionnaire survey of 96 HIV-positive pregnant women attending four public infectious disease control clinics in Gaborone, Botswana. R...

BACKGROUND According to Vietnamese policy, HIV-infected women should have access at least to HIV testing and Nevirapine prophylaxis, or where available, to adequate counselling, HIV infection staging, ARV prophylaxis, and infant formula. Many studies in high HIV prevalence settings have reported low coverage of PMTCT services, but there have been few reports from low HIV prevalence settings, su...