Perinatal HIV Transmission Rates Research Articles

Achieving Elimination of Perinatal HIV in the United States.

In 2012, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published a Framework for Elimination of Perinatal Transmission of HIV in the United States in Pediatrics, setting the goals of an incidence of <1 case of perinatal HIV per 100 000 live births, and a perinatal transmission rate of <1%. We used National HIV Surveillance System data to monitor the numbers of perinatally acquired HIV cases among US-born persons and perinatal HIV diagnosis rates per 100 000 live births to approximate incidence. Perinatal HIV transmission rates from 2010 to 2019 were calculated by using estimates of live births to women with an HIV diagnosis from the National Inpatient Sample, Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project. The annual estimated number of live births to women with diagnosed HIV decreased from 4587 in 2010 to 3525 in 2019, and the number of US-born infants with perinatally acquired HIV decreased from 74 in 2010 to 32 in 2019. Annual perinatal HIV diagnosis rates declined from 1.9 to 0.9 per 100 000 live births, and perinatal HIV transmission rates declined from 1.6% to 0.9%. Racial and ethnic disparities in HIV diagnosis rates persisted but declined substantially over the 10-year period. Both diagnosis and transmission rate elimination goals were first achieved in 2019. To maintain the elimination of perinatal HIV, and to eliminate racial disparities, the continued coordinated effort of health care and public health is required. The approach to perinatal HIV elimination is a public health model that can be replicated or expanded to areas beyond HIV.

Brief Report: Vaginal Viral Shedding With Undetectable Plasma HIV Viral Load in Pregnant Women Receiving 2 Different Antiretroviral Regimens: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Pregnant women using antiretrovirals (ARVs) may have persistent vaginal viral shedding, which could be associated with sexual and perinatal HIV transmission. However, there are scant data on vaginal viral load (VVL) in pregnant women with undetectable plasma viral load (PVL). This study was a post hoc analysis of an open-label randomized trial to evaluate the virologic response of 2 ART regimens. The participants were ART-naive women living with HIV initiating ART regimens between 20 and 36 weeks of pregnancy recruited at 19 clinical sites in 6 countries. Participants were randomized to receive 400 mg of raltegravir 2 times a day or 600 mg of efavirenz 4 times a day in addition to 150 mg of lamivudine and 300 mg of zidovudine 2 times a day. VVL and PVL tests were performed at every study visit. The primary outcome measures were HIV-1 PVL and VVL at maternal study week 4 and rates of perinatal HIV transmission. A total of 408 were enrolled, of whom 323 had VVL samples 4 weeks after enrollment and were included in this analysis. Among women with undetectable/nonquantifiable PVL during ART, the overall rate of quantifiable VVL at week 4 was 2.54% (7/275). Of the 275 with nonquantifiable PVL, 99.1% (115/116) and 96.2% (153/159) had nonquantifiable VVL in the efavirenz and raltegravir arms, respectively. None of the 7 women with quantifiable VVL at the week 4 study visit transmitted HIV to their infants. Detectable VVL in pregnant women with undetectable/nonquantifiable PVL while receiving ART was rare and not associated with perinatal HIV transmission.

Sociodemographic changes and trends in the rates of new perinatal HIV diagnoses and transmission in Spain from 1997 to 2015.

BackgroundThere are not enough nationwide studies on perinatal HIV transmission in connection with a combination of antiretroviral treatments in Spain. Our objectives were to study sociodemographic changes and trends in the rates of HIV diagnoses and perinatal transmission in Spain from 1997 to 2015.MethodsA retrospective study using data from Spanish Paediatric HIV Network (CoRISpe) and Spanish Minimum Basic Data Set (MDBS) was performed. HIV- diagnosed children between 1997 and 2015 were selected. Sociodemographic, clinical and immunovirological data of HIV-infected children and their mothers were studied in four calendar periods (P1: 1997–2000; P2: 2001–2005; P3: 2006–2010; P4: 2011–2015). Rates of perinatal HIV diagnoses and transmission from 1997 to 2015 were calculated.ResultsA total of 532 HIV-infected children were included in this study. Of these children, 406 were Spanish (76.3%) and 126 immigrants (23.7%). A decrease in the number of HIV diagnoses, 203 (38.2%) children in the first (P1), 149 (28%) in the second (P2), 130 (24.4%) in the third (P3) and 50 (9.4%) in the fourth (P4) calendar periods was studied. The same decrease in the Spanish HIV-infected children (P1, 174 (46.6%), P2, 115 (30.8%), P3, 65 (17.4%) and P4, 19 (5.1%)) was monitored. However, an increase in the number of HIV diagnoses by sexual contact (P1: 0%; P2: 1.3%; P3: 4.6%; P4: 16%) was observed. The rates of new perinatal HIV diagnoses and perinatal transmission in Spanish children decreased from 0.167 to 0.005 per 100,000 inhabitants and 11.4% to 0.4% between 1997 and 2015, respectively.ConclusionsA decline of perinatal HIV diagnoses and transmission was observed. However, an increase of teen-agers HIV diagnoses with sexual infection was studied. Public awareness campaigns directed to teen-agers are advisable to prevent HIV infection by sexual contact.

A Multicenter Analysis of Elvitegravir Use During Pregnancy on HIV Viral Suppression and Perinatal Outcomes

BackgroundThere is a knowledge gap on the clinical use of elvitegravir (EVG) during pregnancy and maternal viral suppression. Our objective was to evaluate the effects of EVG use in pregnancy on rates of HIV virologic suppression and perinatal outcomes.MethodsWe conducted a retrospective, multicenter study of pregnant women living with HIV (WLHIV) who used EVG-containing antiretroviral therapy (ART) between January 2014 and March 2017 at 9 tertiary care centers in the United States. WLHIV were included if they took EVG at any time during pregnancy. We described the characteristics of the WLHIV using EVG during the study period and evaluated the rates of HIV suppression and perinatal outcomes.ResultsAmong 134 pregnant WLHIV who received EVG at any time during pregnancy, viral suppression at delivery (HIV-1 RNA < 40 copies/mL) occurred in 81.3%. In WLHIV who initiated EVG before pregnancy and continued through delivery (n = 68), the rate of viral suppression at delivery was 88.2%. The average gestational age at the time of delivery was 37 weeks 6 days, and the overall rate of preterm birth was 20%. No cases of open neural tube defects were noted in women on EVG at the time of conception (n = 82). The perinatal HIV transmission rate was 0.8%.ConclusionsEVG use was associated with high sustained levels of HIV suppression during pregnancy and a low rate of perinatal HIV transmission.

Implementation of repeat HIV testing during pregnancy in southwestern Kenya: progress and missed opportunities.

IntroductionRepeat HIV testing during the late antenatal period is crucial to identify and initiate treatment for pregnant women with incident HIV infection to prevent perinatal HIV transmission and keep mothers alive. In 2012, the Kenya Ministry of Health adopted international guidelines suggesting that pregnant women be offered retesting three months after an initial negative HIV test. Our objectives were to determine the current rate of antenatal repeat HIV testing; identify successes, missed opportunities and factors associated with retesting; and estimate the incidence of HIV during pregnancy.MethodsRetrospective analysis of longitudinal data was conducted for a cohort of 2145 women attending antenatal care clinic at a large district hospital in southwestern Kenya. Data were abstracted from registers for all women who attended the clinic from the years 2011 to 2014.ResultsAlthough 90.2% of women first came to clinic prior to their third trimester and 27.5% had at least four clinic visits, 58.0% of all women went to delivery without a retest. Missed opportunities for retesting included not returning to clinic at all, not returning when eligible, or late gestational age (>28 weeks) at first clinic visit making them ineligible for retesting (accounting for 14.2%, 26.8% and 9.6% of all clinic attendees respectively); and failure to be retested even when eligible at one or more visits (accounting for 73.2% of eligible returnees). Being unmarried and aged 20 or younger was associated with an increase in mean gestational age of first visit by 2.52 weeks (95% CI: 1.56, 3.48) and a 2.59 increased odds (95% CI: 1.90, 3.54) of failing to return to clinic, compared to those who were married and over 20 years of age. On retest, two women tested HIV positive, suggesting an incidence rate of 4.4 per 100 person‐years. After adjusting for potential confounders, only later year of last menstrual period (2013 vs. 2012 and 2011) was associated with retesting.ConclusionsAdoption of retesting guidelines in 2012 appears to have successfully increased retesting rates, but missed opportunities to identify incident HIV infection during pregnancy may contribute to continuing high rates of perinatal HIV transmission in southwestern Kenya.

Detection, diagnosis and clinical tuberculosis in children with hiv infection

The problem of combination of tuberculosis (TB) and HIV remains relevant. Majority of HIV patients are young adults, 90% of which are women of childbearing age, thereby increasing the perinatal HIV transmission rate. In 2014 in Saint Petersburg, &gt;5,000 children with perinatal contact HIV were reported and &gt;300 children were confirmed with HIV infection. We present a comparative analysis of the case histories of 20 children with TB-HIV and 30 with tuberculosis without HIV infection. The analysis identified several cases of delayed diagnosis. In &gt;50% of the cases, the diagnosis of HIV infection was confirmed after 1 year. Four children with HIV infection were diagnosed at school age and connected to suspected cases of tuberculosis. The clinical detection of TB occurs more commonly in children with HIV infection than in those without HIV infection (25% and 5%, respectively). In both groups, tuberculosis of the intrathoracic lymph nodes was predominantly observed; however, generalized forms of TB were also diagnosed in the group with co-infection (25% of the cases). HIV patients often have decreased body mass, low-grade fever, lymphadenopathy, and anemia. Hepatosplenomegaly was equally observed in both groups. More than one third (35%) of patients with co-infection had negative sensitivity to tuberculin, and Diaskintest was positive in 50% of the cases. The prevalence and severity of TB in children with HIV infection correlates with the severity of immunosuppression.

Thai national guidelines for the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of human immunodeficiency virus 2017.

Thailand has made progress in reducing perinatal HIV transmission rates to levels that meet the World Health Organization targets for so-called "elimination" (<2%) of mother-to-child transmission (MTCT). To highlight the Thailand National Guidelines on HIV/AIDS Treatment Prevention Working Group issued a new version of its National Prevention of MTCT guidelines in March 2017 aimed to reduce MTCT rate to <1% by 2020. The guidelines include recommending initiation of antepartum antiretroviral therapy (ART) containing tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) plus lamivudine (3TC)/emtricitabine (FTC) plus efavirenz regardless of CD4 cell count as soon as HIV is diagnosed for ART naïve HIV-infected pregnant women. An alternative regimen is TDF or zidovudine (AZT) plus 3TC/FTC plus lopinavir/ritonavir (LPV/r) for HIV-infected pregnant women suspected resistant to non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors. Treatment should be started immediately irrespective of gestational age and continued after delivery for life. Raltegravir is recommended in addition to the ART regimen for HIV-infected pregnant women who present late (gestational age (GA) ≥32 weeks) or those who have a viral load (VL) >1000 copies/mL at GA ≥32 weeks. HIV-infected pregnant women who conceive while receiving ART should continue their treatment regimen during pregnancy. HIV-infected pregnant women who present in labor and are not receiving ART should receive single-dose nevirapine immediately along with oral AZT, and continue ART for life. Infants born to HIV-infected mothers are categorized as high or standard risk for MTCT. High MTCT risk is defined as an infant whose mother has a viral load (VL) > 50 copies/mL at GA > 36 weeks or has received ART <12 weeks before delivery, or has poor ART adherence. These infants should be started on AZT plus 3TC plus NVP for 6 weeks after delivery. Infants with standard MTCT risk should receive AZT for 4 weeks. Formula feeding exclusively is recommended for all HIV-exposed infants.

Perinatal HIV Exposure Surveillance and Reporting in the United States, 2014.

We sought to describe the current status of perinatal HIV exposure surveillance (PHES) activities and regulations in the United States and to make recommendations to strengthen PHES. In 2014, we sent an online survey to health departments in the 50 states, District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, and 6 cities and counties (Chicago, Illinois; Houston, Texas; Los Angeles, California; New York, New York; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and San Francisco, California). We analyzed responses from 56 of the 59 (95%) jurisdictions. Thirty-three of 56 jurisdictions (59%) reported conducting PHES and following infants to determine their infection status. Of the 33 jurisdictions performing PHES, 28 (85%) linked maternal and infant data, but only 12 (36%) determined the HIV care status of postpartum women. Themes of respondents' recommendations for strengthening PHES centered on updating laws and regulations to support PHES, reporting all HIV test results and linking vital records with PHES data to identify and follow HIV-exposed infants, communicating with health care providers to improve reporting, training staff, and getting help from experienced jurisdictions to implement PHES. Our findings indicate that data on perinatal exposure collected through the current system are inadequate to comprehensively monitor and prevent perinatal HIV exposure and transmission. Comprehensive PHES data collection and reporting are needed to sustain the progress that has been made toward lowering perinatal HIV transmission rates. We propose that minimum standards be established for perinatal HIV exposure reporting to improve the completeness, quality, and efficiency of PHES in the United States.

The Impact of HIV-Centered Obstetric Care on Perinatal Transmission and Linkage to Care in HIV-Infected Women [7F

INTRODUCTION: The objective of this study was to determine the effects of HIV-centered obstetric care (HCC) on maternal and fetal outcomes. The primary outcome of interest is perinatal HIV transmission. METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort study HIV-infected women and their HIV-exposed infants who delivered from 2000 to 2014. Prior to 2009, women received care in a high risk pregnancy clinic (HRC). In 2009, a HCC service was established, staffed by obstetrician specialists with HIV medical training, a social worker, and a patient advocate. HIV-infected women delivering after 2009 received HCC. Maternal and neonatal outcomes, including perinatal HIV transmission rates, were compared between HIV-infected women receiving HRC compared to HCC. Continuous variables were compared with Student's t test and Wilcoxon rank sum tests. Categorical variables were compared using χ2 test and Fisher's exact test. RESULTS: 161 women delivered 217 HIV-exposed pregnancies from 2000–2014; four women delivered twins (2%). Seventy-eight women (36%) received HCC. Three perinatal HIV transmissions (2%) occurred among women in HRC compared none in women receiving HCC. Women in HCC were more likely to have HIV RNA viral loads (VL) <1,000 at delivery (12% vs 26%, P=.02), use a long-acting reversible contraceptive (LARC) method (26% vs 2%, P<.0001), return for a postpartum visit (80% vs 63%, P=.01), and had lower median VL postpartum (40 copies/mL vs 1855, P<.0001). CONCLUSION: Implementing an HCC model may reduce perinatal HIV transmission, improve maternal virologic control during pregnancy, increase postpartum LARC use, and improve HIV care compliance.

A Test of Accuracy and Completeness in Data Flow Value Chain Within the Context of Early Infant Diagnosis of HIV Using Mixed Methods Approaches

Recent changes to Kenya’s early infant diagnosis (EID) testing algorithm have raised hope that the national goal of reducing perinatal HIV transmission rates to less than 5% can be attained. While programmatic efforts to reach this target are underway, obtaining complete and accurate data from clinical sites to track progress presents a major challenge. The purpose of this study was therefore to assess data completeness, accuracy and challenges in relation to routine EID data management in Kisumu East and Kisumu West Districts within Kisumu County, Kenya. Purposive sampling was used to select 23 active health facilities across the two districts disproportionate by partners. From the selected facilities a sampling frame of 192 patients was established and a sample size of 130 patient’s data selected. Accuracy and completeness were determined by computing sensitivity, specificity, and predictive values. Infant sex, Infant prophylaxis, Breastfeeding information, Entry point, and Test results were found to have registered replication completeness not significantly different from 99% replication at (p>0.05) as oppose to Sample code, Infant Age, Date of sample collection, and PMTCT prophylaxis were found to be significantly different from the 99% replication (p<0.05). On completeness; Sample code and date of sample collection registered completeness beyond the hypothesized value, implying they were complete as required. The remaining data elements including infant sex, infant age, infant prophylaxis, PMTCT prophylaxis, breastfeeding information and entry point were significantly lower than the hypothesized completeness value (p<0.0001) except for test results that had completeness score equal to 0.99. The study, therefore, concludes that despite the shortage of staffing and other challenges, personnel working in the data management system appear to be dedicated, informed and conscientious. However, this research suggests that there is a suboptimal use of the information for local action in certain areas. This assessment thus serves to enlighten policy-makers on the current state of the EID data management system in Kisumu East and West districts.

Loss to Follow-Up within the Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission Care Cascade in a Large ART Program in Nigeria.

The 2013 WHO guidelines incorporated simplified and more effective antiretroviral regimens for the purposes of preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV. With ideal implementation of these recommendations, perinatal HIV transmission could be reduced to less than 2%. However, loss to follow-up (LTFU) has the potential to erode the success of programs and a number of studies report high rates of LTFU within the prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) care cascade. We evaluated the timing and magnitude of LTFU in a large programmatic PMTCT cohort in Nigeria in order to focus future efforts to reduce loss in this high burden setting. From 2004-2014, the APIN/Harvard PEPFAR program supported antenatal HIV screening for nearly one million pregnant women and provided PMTCT care to over 30,000 women. The care cascade for women enrolling in the PMTCT program includes antenatal, delivery, and infant follow-up services through 12-18 months of life. In this retrospective cohort analysis, we examined data collected between 2004-2014 from 31 clinical sites in Nigeria and assessed the numbers of mothers and infants enrolled and LTFU at various points along the care cascade. Among 31,504 women (median age 30, IQR: 27-34) entering PMTCT care during the antenatal period, 20,679 (66%) completed the entire cascade of services including antenatal, delivery, and at least one infant follow-up visit. The median gestational age at presentation for antenatal care services was 23 weeks (IQR: 17-29). The median infant age at last follow-up visit was 12 months (IQR: 5-18). The greatest loss in the PMTCT care cascade occurred prior to delivery care (21%), with a further 16% lost prior to first infant visit. Of the 38,223 women who entered at any point along the PMTCT cascade, an HIV DNA PCR was available for 20,202 (53%) of their infants. Among infants for whom DNA PCR results were available, the rate of HIV transmission for infants whose mothers received any antenatal and/or delivery care was 2.8% versus 20.0% if their mother received none. In this large cohort analysis, the proportion of women LTFU in the PMTCT care cascade was lower than that reported in previous cohort analyses. Nevertheless, this proportion remains unacceptably high and inhibits the program from maximally achieving the goals of PMTCT care. We also provide the largest analysis to date on rates of perinatal HIV transmission, with low rates among women receiving NNRTI- or PI-based regimens, approaching that reported in clinical trials. However, among mothers who received any antenatal care, infant outcomes were unknown for 48%, and women presented later in pregnancy than that recommended by current guidelines. Implementation research to evaluate ways to improve integration of services, particularly transitions from antenatal to delivery and pediatric care, are critically needed to reduce LTFU within PMTCT programs and achieve the ultimate goal of eliminating pediatric HIV infection.

HIV Transmission to Extremely Low Birth Weight Infants

Prematurity increases the perinatal HIV transmission rate compared with term infants. There is sparse literature documenting the risk of transmission of HIV to extremely low birth weight (ELBW) infants. To determine the risk of perinatal transmission of HIV to ELBW infants in a tertiary neonatal unit in South Africa. A prospective database was maintained on all inborn ELBW infants over a 1-year period from March 2010 to February 2011. Survival and DNA HIV polymerase chain reaction results at 6 weeks were recorded. Of the 180 ELBW infants, 51 (28%) of these babies were HIV exposed. Of these 51 infants, 37 survived until 6 weeks of age. Polymerase chain reaction testing revealed 1 HIV-positive infant for a rate of 2.7% (95% confidence interval: 0.7-14.1%). Twenty-six (72%) of the 36 mothers received antiretroviral drugs, but only 16 (44%) had been treated for more than 1 month. The rate of HIV transmission in this cohort of ELBW infants is very low despite only 44% of the mothers receiving adequate antiretroviral drugs. We postulate that this is due to our high (89%) cesarean section rate, universal (100%) infant prophylactic antiretroviral drugs and the use of pasteurized breast milk.

Analysis of HIV Early Infant Diagnosis Data to Estimate Rates of Perinatal HIV Transmission in Zambia

BackgroundMother-to-child transmission of HIV (MTCT) remains the most prevalent source of pediatric HIV infection. Most PMTCT (prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV) programs have concentrated monitoring and evaluation efforts on process rather than on outcome indicators. In this paper, we review service data from 28,320 children born to HIV-positive mothers to estimate MTCT rates.MethodThis study analyzed DNA PCR results and PMTCT data from perinatally exposed children zero to 12 months of age from five Zambian provinces between September 2007 and July 2010.ResultsThe majority of children (58.6%) had a PCR test conducted between age six weeks and six months. Exclusive breastfeeding (56.8%) was the most frequent feeding method. An estimated 45.9% of mothers were below 30 years old and 93.3% had disclosed their HIV status. In terms of ARV regimen for PMTCT, 32.7% received AZT+single dose NVP (sdNVP), 30.9% received highly active antiretroviral treatment (HAART), 19.6% received sdNVP only and 12.9% received no ARVs. Transmission rates at six weeks when ARVs were received by both mother and baby, mother only, baby only, and none were 5.8%, 10.5%, 15.8% and 21.8% respectively. Transmission rates at six weeks where mother received HAART, AZT+sd NVP, sdNVP, and no intervention were 4.2%, 6.8%, 8.7% and 20.1% respectively. Based on adjusted analysis including ARV exposures and non ARV-related parameters, lower rates of positive PCR results were associated with 1) both mother and infant receiving prophylaxis, 2) children never breastfed and 3) mother being 30 years old or greater.Overall between September 2007 and July 2010, 12.2% of PCR results were HIV positive. Between September 2007 and January 2009, then between February 2009 and July 2010, proportions of positive PCR results were 15.1% and 11% respectively, a significant difference.ConclusionThe use of ARV drugs reduces vertical transmission of HIV in a program setting. Non-chemoprophylactic factors also play a significant role in HIV transmission. The overall change in the proportions of positive PCR results over time is more likely an indication of better PMTCT implementation. Determination of the outcomes of PMTCT in program settings is feasible but requires accurate documentation and analysis.

Five-year trends in epidemiology and prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission, St. Petersburg, Russia: results from perinatal HIV surveillance

BackgroundThe HIV epidemic in Russia has increasingly involved reproductive-aged women, which may increase perinatal HIV transmission.MethodsStandard HIV case-reporting and enhanced perinatal HIV surveillance systems were used for prospective assessment of HIV-infected women giving birth in St. Petersburg, Russia, during 2004-2008. Trends in social, perinatal, and clinical factors influencing mother-to-child HIV transmission stratified by history of injection drug use, and rates of perinatal HIV transmission were assessed using two-sided χ2 or Cochran-Armitage tests.ResultsAmong HIV-infected women who gave birth, the proportion of women who self-reported ever using injection drugs (IDUs) decreased from 62% in 2004 to 41% in 2008 (P < 0.0001). Programmatic improvements led to increased uptake of the following clinical services from 2004 to 2008 (all P < 0.01): initiation of antiretroviral prophylaxis at ≤28 weeks gestation (IDUs 44%-54%, non-IDUs 45%-72%), monitoring of immunologic (IDUs 48%-64%, non-IDUs 58%-80%) and virologic status (IDUs 8%-58%, non-IDUs 10%-75%), dual/triple antiretroviral prophylaxis (IDUs 9%-44%, non-IDUs 14%-59%). After initial increase from 5.3% (95% confidence interval [CI] 3.5%-7.8%) in 2004 to 8.5% (CI 6.1%-11.7%) in 2005 (P < 0.05), perinatal HIV transmission decreased to 5.3% (CI 3.4%-8.3%) in 2006, and 3.2% (CI 1.7%-5.8%) in 2007 (P for trend <0.05). However, the proportion of women without prenatal care and without HIV testing before labor and delivery remained unchanged.ConclusionsReduced proportion of IDUs and improved clinical services among HIV-infected women giving birth were accompanied by decreased perinatal HIV transmission, which can be further reduced by increasing outreach and HIV testing of women before and during pregnancy.

The effect of prophylaxis on pediatric HIV costs

The objective of this study was to determine and compare the cost to treat HIV(+) and HIV(−) pediatric patients both before and after HIV prophylaxis became the standard of care. Retrospective chart review of a pediatric HIV/AIDS specialty clinic's medical charts was conducted for clinical and healthcare utilization data on 125 children diagnosed from 1986 to 2007. Mean HIV-related costs were compared using bootstrapped t-tests for children born in the pre-prophylaxis (1979–1993) and prophylaxis eras (1994–2007). Patients were also stratified into two categories based on death during the follow-up period. Lastly, national cost-savings were estimated using mean costs, national number of at-risk births, and national perinatal HIV transmission rates in each era. For HIV(+) children, mean annual per patient treatment cost was $15,067 (95% CI: $10,169–$19,965) in the pre-prophylaxis era (n = 40) and $14,959 (95% CI: $9140–$20,779) in the prophylaxis era (n = 14); difference not statistically significant (p > 0.05). For HIV(−) children, mean annual per patient treatment cost was $204 (95% CI: $219–$627) for the pre-prophylaxis era (n = 2) and $427 (95% CI: $277–$579) for the prophylaxis era (n = 69); difference statistically significant (p < 0.05). A projected cost-savings of $16–23 million annually in the USA was observed due to the adoption of prophylaxis treatment guidelines in pediatric HIV care. The prophylaxis era of pediatric HIV treatment has been successful in decreasing perinatal HIV transmission and mortality, as reflected by clinical trials and national cost-savings data, and emphasizes the value of the rapid adoption of evidence-based practice guidelines.

Pediatric antiretroviral therapy

The rate of perinatal HIV transmission has decreased significantly in developed countries. However, worldwide, it remains the main source of HIV infection within the pediatric population. Recent advances as a result of findings from clinical trials, viral resistance testing and the advent of new drugs have increased the options for initial treatment regimens. This article provides an overview of antiretroviral therapy in treatment-naive children, including recent pediatric data and updated guidelines from the NIH. It also provides information on new drugs approved for the pediatric age group, dosage information, drug resistance testing and monitoring suggestions for children and adolescents receiving antiretroviral therapy. Special issues pertaining to adherence, disclosure and contraception are also highlighted.

Epidemiological features of HIV infection in pregnant women and their babies

The prevalence of HIV infection among pregnant women in 7 subjects of the Russian Federation has exceeded 1%, its epidemic in these regions has gone over to its generalized stage, which suggests its poor prognosis, will induce an increase in HIV infection mortality in the years ahead. The Russian regions have shown substantial differences in the prevalence of HIV infection among the infants born to HIV-infected mothers. In 13 subjects of the country, the rate of perinatal HIV transmission has been 1.6-4-fold greater than the average Russian rate (9.6%); of them 6 subjects had high infant morbidity rates during the virtually complete (82-100%) coverage by three-stage chemoprophylaxis (a mother-infant pair). The low efficiency of prevention, the need to reveal reasons for the established situation and to optimize measured aimed at reducing the risk of perinatal HIV transmission.

Challenges for Routine Health System Data Management in a Large Public Programme to Prevent Mother-to-Child HIV Transmission in South Africa

BackgroundRecent changes to South Africa's prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT) guidelines have raised hope that the national goal of reducing perinatal HIV transmission rates to less than 5% can be attained. While programmatic efforts to reach this target are underway, obtaining complete and accurate data from clinical sites to track progress presents a major challenge. We assessed the completeness and accuracy of routine PMTCT data submitted to the district health information system (DHIS) in three districts of Kwazulu-Natal province, South Africa.Methodology/Principal FindingsWe surveyed the completeness and accuracy of data reported for six key PMTCT data elements between January and December 2007 from all 316 clinics and hospitals in three districts. Through visits to randomly selected sites, we reconstructed reports for the same six PMTCT data elements from clinic registers and assessed accuracy of the monthly reports previously submitted to the DHIS. Data elements were reported only 50.3% of the time and were “accurate” (i.e. within 10% of reconstructed values) 12.8% of the time. The data element “Antenatal Clients Tested for HIV” was the most accurate data element (i.e. consistent with the reconstructed value) 19.8% of the time, while “HIV PCR testing of baby born to HIV positive mother” was the least accurate with only 5.3% of clinics meeting the definition of accuracy.Conclusions/SignificanceData collected and reported in the public health system across three large, high HIV-prevalence Districts was neither complete nor accurate enough to track process performance or outcomes for PMTCT care. Systematic data evaluation can determine the magnitude of the data reporting failure and guide site-specific improvements in data management. Solutions are currently being developed and tested to improve data quality.

Prenatal Screening and Perinatal HIV Transmission in Northern Alberta, 1999–2006

We evaluated the effectiveness of a program that includes routine opt-out prenatal HIV screening, combination antiretroviral therapy (ART), and a multidisciplinary team in preventing perinatal HIV transmission. A retrospective analysis was performed on HIV-infected pregnant women in northern Alberta, Canada, who delivered between January 1, 1999, and February 28, 2006. Ninety-eight women had 113 deliveries. Forty-three percent were diagnosed with HIV infection through prenatal screening. Approximately 60% of HIV-infected pregnant women were Aboriginal, with 45% reporting alcohol use and 42% illicit drug use during pregnancy. The use of combination ART during pregnancy increased throughout the study period; 89% or more received combination ART from 2004 through 2006. Only 1 of the 111 infants (0.9%) was confirmed to be HIV infected, and that infant was born to a woman with no prenatal care. High rates of HIV testing using an opt-out approach, combined with efforts by a multidisciplinary team, resulted in a low rate of perinatal HIV transmission in our cohort. The added value of retesting high-risk women late in pregnancy or with rapid HIV tests at the time of delivery should be explored.

Proposed Guidelines for the Prevention of Mother-To-Child Transmission of HIV in Middle-Income Countries: The Thai Red Cross Pmtct Guidelines

The rate of perinatal HIV transmission has drastically decreased in high-income countries where interventions to reduce mother-to-child transmission of HIV have been successfully implemented. Guidelines for the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT) from developed countries recommend high-standard interventions and monitoring to minimize transmission in individual cases as much as possible. However, WHO PMTCT guidelines aim more towards universal access and focus on settings with the highest HIV burden and most limited resources. WHO PMTCT guidelines display skepticism and only briefly mention triple-drug antiretroviral therapy (ART) for PMTCT in situations where resources may be available. Middle-income countries with adequate health system infrastructure and willingness to provide PMTCT services that are more advanced than that of low-income countries require different PMTCT guidelines. Triple-drug ART should be offered to all pregnant women. Nevirapine-based ART may be used safely in subgroups of pregnant women with CD4 counts less than 250–350 cells/mm3, when the monitoring of pregnant women with frequent clinic visits and low-cost laboratory tests are feasible.