Mother to baby transmission of HIV has fallen dramatically in the UK, according to a survey published in the British Medical Journal today. Transmission has fallen from an estimated rate of 19.6% (CI 8-32.5%) in 1993 to 2.2% (CI 0%-7.8%) in 1998.
Researchers attribute the fall to the virtually universal adoption of anti-retroviral therapy during pregnancy and/or delivery. Amongst women known to be HIV-positive before delivery, 97% of live births in 1998 were covered by anti-retroviral therapy, compared with 66% in 1994. 57% of all mothers were receiving more than one drug at the time of delivery, and 62% chose to give birth by caesarean section, which has been shown to further reduce the risk of HIV transmission. However, in this analysis caesarean section was not shown to reduce the risk further.
References
Duong T et al. Vertical transmission rates for HIV in the British Isles: estimates based on surveillance data. British Medical Journal 319: 1227-1229, 1999.