Mother-child HIV transmission at all time low in UK and Ireland

The number of mothers passing the HIV virus to their babies has fallen to a new record low in the UK and Ireland thanks to the very high take-up of antenatal HIV screening and treatment which reduces virus levels in the pregnant women, according to research led by UCL. The proportion of pregnant woman passing on the virus to their babies fell to a new low of 0.27% in 2012-2014, with only seven infected babies born in this period to women diagnosed with HIV. This compares with 0.46% in 2010-2012 reported two years ago, and with 2.1% in 2000-2001. The data was compiled by the National Study of HIV in Pregnancy and Childhood, a long-running national surveillance study, which is supported by Public Health England. The data was published in a research letter to Clinical Infectious Diseases. In the UK there is a very high uptake of antenatal HIV screening, estimated at 97%, which is recommended for all pregnant women, and there are clear standards and guidelines for the management of pregnant women with HIV. The chance of a baby being infected depends mainly on the extent the virus is present in the pregnant woman. The reasons behind the continuing decline in vertical transmission are largely linked to treatment, which reduces virus levels.