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Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission
 Approximately 1,100 children are infected every day with HIV, the vast majority through mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) during pregnancy, labor and delivery, and through breast milk. Fortunately, there are simple and effective interventions that significantly reduce MTCT of HIV. For example, a single dose of the drug nevirapine given once to the mother at the onset of labor, and once to the baby during the first three days of its life, can reduce transmission of HIV from a mother to her newborn by approximately 50 percent. Other effective regimens, including those that supplement single-dose nevirapine with enhanced care and treatment services, can further reduce transmission from mother to child.
Despite their proven effectiveness, more than three-quarters of HIV-positive pregnant women in low- and middle-income countries do not receive the medicines they need to prevent MTCT. As a result, hundreds of thousands of babies are newly infected through MTCT each year. Over 300,000 new pediatric infections could be prevented if prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) service access is increased to 80 percent of pregnant, HIV-infected women.
PMTCT programs also provide health benefits for children that go beyond preventing HIV. These programs serve as an entry point for mothers to access treatment for their own HIV infection, allowing them to stay healthy enough to care for their children. In resource-poor countries, sustaining the health of mothers is critical to the survival of their children. PMTCT programs also increase the likelihood that a child will receive follow-up care, including HIV testing and ARV treatment, if needed.
As part of its advocacy agenda, the Foundation works to ensure that adequate funding is provided to expand access to PMTCT services, improve the ability of programs to offer the most effective drug regimens possible, and encourage stronger linkages between PMTCT and care and treatment programs in resource-poor countries.
Additional information
Fact Sheet: October 19, 2007 — Preventing Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV
Foundation Statement: July 25, 2006 — Statement of the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation on HIV Testing of Pregnant Women and Infants
Story of Hope: July 21, 2006 — Annabella's Story
Press Release: May 24, 2006 — Recommendations for 2006 U.N. General Assembly on PMTCT and Pediatric Treatment
Press release: April 7, 2005 — IOM Report Confirms Safety of Nevirapine to Prevent MTCT, Findings Signal a Movement Forward
Foundation statement: February 23, 2005 — Expanding Access of Pregnant Women in the Developing World to Wider Range of Effective Methods in PMTCT
Foundation statement: December 14, 2004 — On the Issue of Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV/AIDS and Single-Dose Nevirapine
Press release: July 14, 2004 — UNAIDS, UNICEF, EGPAF Underscore Importance of Keeping Single-Dose Nevirapine Available to HIV Positive Mothers
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