Mother to child transmission
WHO
Use of antiretroviral drugs for treating pregnant women and preventing HIV infection in infants.2009
The availability of a significant amount of new evidence on ARV prophylaxis to prevent MTCT, as well as new information on optimal timing for ART initiation (treatment eligibility) warrants development of revised 2009 guidelines. Particularly important is the evidence indicating the benefits of starting ARV prophylaxis for PMTCT earlier during pregnancy, and new data indicating that extended ARV prophylaxis to mothers or infants is effective in substantially decreasing the risk of HIV transmission through breastfeeding. Revision of the guidelines provides an important
opportunity to simplify and standardize current recommendations, and to provide updated normative guidance for more effective PMTCT interventions in both resource-limited settings and globally.
WHO
HIV and infant feeding. Revised principles and recommendations. 2009
WHO recommendations on infant feeding and HIV were last revised in 2006. Significant programmatic experience and research evidence regarding HIV and infant feeding have accumulated since then. In particular, evidence has been reported that antiretroviral (ARV) interventions to either the HIV-infected mother or HIV-exposed infant can significantly reduce the risk of postnatal transmission of HIV through breastfeeding. This has major implications for how women living with HIV might choose to feed their infants, and how health workers should counsel mothers when making these choices.
Margaret C Hogan, Kyle J Foreman, Mohsen Naghavi, Stephanie Y Ahn, Mengru Wang, Susanna M Makela, Prof Alan D Lopez, Prof Rafael Lozano, Prof Christopher JL Murray. The Lancet, Early Online Publication, 12 April 2010
Maternal mortality for 181 countries, 1980-2008: a systematic analysis of progress towards Millennium Development Goal 5
The article finds that there were an estimated 342 900 maternal deaths worldwide in 2008, down from 526 300 in 1980. The global maternal mortality rate decreased from 422 in 1980 to 320 in 1990, and was 251 per 100 000 livebirths in 2008. However, the article finds that in the absence of HIV, there would have been 281 500 maternal deaths worldwide in 2008.
The availability of a significant amount of new evidence on ARV prophylaxis to prevent MTCT, as well as new information on optimal timing for ART initiation (treatment eligibility) warrants development of revised 2009 guidelines. Particularly important is the evidence indicating the benefits of starting ARV prophylaxis for PMTCT earlier during pregnancy, and new data indicating that extended ARV prophylaxis to mothers or infants is effective in substantially decreasing the risk of HIV transmission through breastfeeding. Revision of the guidelines provides an important opportunity to simplify and standardize current recommendations, and to provide updated normative guidance for more effective PMTCT interventions in both resource-limited settings and globally.
Regional consulation on accelerating prevention of mother-to-child trasmission and pediatric care and treatmen, Nairobi. 21-22 May 2009
A Regional Consultation on Accelerating Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission and Pediatric Care and Treatment, convened by UNICEF, UNAIDS and WHO took place in Nairobi, Kenya, from 21 to 22 May. The Consultation brought together senior staff from Ministries of Health of the nine countries along with experts from international and non-governmental agencies that work in Eastern and Southern Africa region to review progress, identify the bottlenecks and agree on what needs to be done to address them.
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