Elimination of Mother-to-Child Transmission Publications

The objective of the study is to examine the experience of access to reproductive and maternal health care and services by HIV positive women who have been pregnant in the past 18 months. 

The HIV epidemic in Asia-Pacific is growing rapidly, although most countries have low HIV prevalence while some have concentrated epidemics. AIDS is increasingly feminized through intimate partners’ transmission with gradual increase of new HIV infections among low-risk women and consequent mother-to-child transmission.

The 2010 guidelines are developed to provide international standards, primarily for low- and middle income settings, in support of the global scale-up of more effective interventions aimed at preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV (MTCT) in resource-limited settings.

This publication reflects an important part of the World Health Organization’s (WHO’s) health sector response to HIV/AIDS and will contribute directly to the new Outcome framework of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS).

The WHO guidelines Antiretroviral therapy for HIV infection in infants and children are based on a public health approach to HIV care. Updated in 2010, these guidelines are harmonized with the treatment guidelines adopted for adults, pregnant women, and for prevention of mother- to- child transmission (PMTCT). 

The Royal Government of Bhutan has adopted the prevention of mother to child transmission (PMTCT) as an integral part of the nation's response to the HIV/AIDS catastrophe. PMTCT will be a part of a wider response to HIV/AIDS, which includes expanding access to care and support for HIV infected mothers and their families, including treatment of opportunistic infections and accelerating access to treatment.

This PMTCT Training Package is expected to play a key role in accelerating the scale up of PMTCT services in the Pacific region through training of healthcare workers to implement appropriate, quality services for PMTCT.

An estimated 1,700 children under the age of 15 are infected by HIV around the globe everyday. Many of these are young children, infected at birth by mothers who are unaware of their HIV status. The number continues to rise as more women are infected by partners who adopt high risk behaviours such as injecting drugs, buying sex, and having multiple sexual partners.

On October 20, 2004, 29 representatives from three countries and more than a dozen international and supranational organizations and hospitals attended the Consultation on Accelerating Support for Paediatric HIV Care, Support and Treatment in Thailand and Neighboring Countries within the Context of the 3 x 5 Initiative.

This publication summarizes existing evidence on the use of antiretroviral drugs for preventing mother-to child transmission of HIV and makes recommendations on the choice of regimens in the context of expanding access to antiretroviral treatment.