News

HIV Prevention Funding in Africa Should Be Shifted To Promote Male Circumcision, Partner Reduction Programs, Study Says

Current HIV prevention strategies have had limited success in fighting HIV/AIDS in Africa and should be shifted to promote male circumcision and partner reduction programs, according to a study published Friday in the journal Science, BBC News reports (BBC News, 5/9). The article was published in a special issue of Science to mark the 25th anniversary of the discovery of HIV, London's Times reports (Henderson, Times, 5/9).

Daniel Halperin of the Harvard School of Public Health, Malcolm Potts of University of California-Berkeley School of Public Health and their eight colleagues wrote that HIV prevention strategies usually involve the promotion and provision of condoms, HIV testing, microbicide research, abstinence and the treatment of other sexually transmitted infections that can increase the risk of HIV, according to an HSPH release.

However, condom promotion has not been effective in parts of Southern Africa because the epidemic is generalized and primarily heterosexual in the region, the researchers wrote. Other studies also have shown that HIV testing and treating STIs have not had a significant impact, they noted (HSPH release, 5/9). "Despite relatively large investments in AIDS prevention efforts for some years now, it's clear that we need to do a better job of reducing the rate of new HIV infections," Halperin said, adding, "We need a fairly dramatic shift in priorities, not just a minor tweaking" (BBC News, 5/9). "The vast majority of donor investments in HIV prevention in the generalized epidemics of Africa continue to go to approaches for which the evidence of actual impact is increasingly unclear," he said, adding, "Many of these approaches ... do have important public health benefits and should be continued, but not because we believe they will definitely have a major impact on reducing HIV infections."

According to Halperin, there is "still some foot dragging on more fully implementing those approaches for which the evidence is much stronger, namely to scale up safe, voluntary male circumcision services and to more assertively promote partner reduction," he wrote (Times, 5/9).

According to the researchers, less than 1% of UNAIDS funding has been allocated for male circumcision programs. They add that other, more costly strategies have been less effective in preventing HIV in the region, London's Independent reports.

Studies have shown that routine male circumcision could reduce a man's risk of contracting HIV by at least 60%, but the procedure also could have benefits for women, according to researchers. "Over time, male circumcision, which has been called a 'surgical vaccine,' would probably protect more women, albeit indirectly, than nearly any other achievable HIV prevention strategy," the researchers wrote.

The added, "Unlike most other interventions, male circumcision is a one-time procedure that confers lifelong protection. Modeling suggests that male circumcision could avert up to 5.7 million new HIV infections and three million deaths over the next 20 years in sub-Saharan Africa, many of these among women."

Potts said, "It is tragic that we did not act on male circumcision in 2000, when the evidence was already very compelling," adding, "Large numbers of people will die as a result of this error" (Independent, 5/9).

Reaction
Michael Carter, spokesperson for Aidsmap said, "There is undoubtedly a growing sense of frustration about HIV incidence figures, and this inevitably leads to the search for methods of prevention that appear more effective." He added, "Circumcision and partner reduction do have a role and will have greater success in some settings than others."

Lisa Power, head of policy at the Terrence Higgins Trust said, "Different strategies are needed for different countries and with the United Kingdom's concentration of HIV in specific populations, targeted work is essential" (BBC News, 5/9). read more

Kenya Launches Campaign To Increase TB Screening Among HIV-Positive People

The Kenyan government on Tuesday launched a 60 million shilling -- or about $975,000 -- campaign to increase the number of HIV-positive people who are screened for tuberculosis at public hospitals, Kenya's Nation reports. The campaign also aims to educate health workers to test people with TB for HIV.

About half of the 1.2 million HIV-positive people in Kenya also have TB, James Nyikal, public health and sanitation permanent secretary, said at an event to mark the launch of the campaign at Mbagathi District Hospital in Nairobi, Kenya. He added that health workers detect about 20% of TB cases among HIV-positive people. According to Nyikal, there is a "strong link" between TB and HIV/AIDS. "That is why we want our health workers to ensure all patients are tested for both diseases in public, private and mission hospitals," he said (Mwaniki, Nation, 5/7).

Nyikal also said health workers are not immune to the stigma often associated with TB and HIV/AIDS, Africa Science News Service reports. He said a number of health workers reported knowing colleagues who seek treatment for HIV/AIDS in distant health clinics to avoid discrimination. "Health workers need to be encouraged to recognize the benefits of disclosure to support their work and health," Nyikal said. He also acknowledged that Kenya faces challenges in fighting HIV/AIDS- and TB-related stigma (Neondo, Africa Science News Service, 5/6).

According to Nyikal, Kenya has received a shipment of 800,000 doses of the BCG TB vaccine. A recent government shortage put more than 200,000 infants at risk of contracting the disease. There were 117,000 cases of TB in Kenya last year, and the disease killed about 74,000 people, the Nation reports (Nation, 5/7). read more

Southeast Asian Officials Meet in Laos To Discuss HIV/AIDS Prevention

Officials with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations recently met in Laos to examine methods of addressing the increasing rate of HIV/AIDS in the region, Xinhuanet reports. According to Xinhuanet, the officials discussed how increasing the involvement and empowerment of HIV-positive people could help curb the spread of the virus.

During a meeting on Wednesday, Lao Deputy Minister of Public Health Bounkouang Phichit said that HIV/AIDS has negatively impacted health care systems in Southeast Asia, as well as national budgets, especially in low-income countries. According to Sonam Yangchen Rana, United Nations Resident Coordinator in Laos, the meeting will help address the needs and concerns of people living with HIV/AIDS, as well as strengthen their involvement in the development and execution of ASEAN's HIV/AIDS efforts.

Rana also said that during the past few years, Southeast Asia has seen an increasing number of networks of HIV-positive people. According to Xinhuanet, the networks provide people with a communal platform to voice their concerns, as well as an opportunity to gather and offer services. ASEAN consists of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam (Xinhuanet, 5/8). read more

South Carolina Legislature Approves $2.4M for State ADAP

South Carolina lawmakers have approved $2.4 million for the state's AIDS Drug Assistance Program, the Columbia State reports (Reid, Columbia State, 5/8). ADAPs are federal- and state-funded programs that provide HIV/AIDS-related medications to low-income, uninsured and underinsured HIV-positive individuals (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 4/9).

The Legislature approved $4 million for the state's ADAP last year, according to the State. South Carolina's contribution has increased from 5% of the program's budget in 2007 to 19% this year. South Carolina ADAP Director Sonya Bayone said that about 100 people in the state apply for ADAP monthly.

"We have finally, as a state, come to grips with HIV/AIDS and are willing to put resources to stem the spread of this disease," Rep. Joe Neal (D), who has led efforts in the state House to allocate money for HIV/AIDS services, said.

According to the State, the new money will help prevent waiting lists, such as the one that increased to 567 people after federal funding for the program was reduced last year. However, the program is expected to face federal funding cuts and increased costs again in the future, the State reports. Higher drug prices, new recommendations that HIV-positive people start treatment earlier and concerted efforts to increase HIV testing have contributed to rising ADAP costs, according to the State.

Helmut Albrecht, chief of Infectious Diseases at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine, said, "This is just bringing us up to where we should be," adding, "In all honesty, we had a lot of catching up to do." Bambi Gaddist, executive director of the South Carolina HIV/AIDS Council, said, "A health agenda is important for economic stability. In the past, we have left HIV off. It's important that we place HIV on that health agenda." About 800 people in South Carolina are diagnosed with HIV/AIDS annually (Columbia State, 5/8).

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Latino Commission on AIDS Project Focuses on HIV/AIDS Among Hispanic Immigrants in Deep South

NPR's "Tell Me More" on Wednesday included a discussion with Tim Frasca of the Latino Commission on AIDS about the organization's Deep South Project. The project aims to develop strategies to address HIV/AIDS among Hispanics in Mississippi and six other Southern states with rapidly growing populations of new immigrants, Frasca, program coordinator for the project, said.

The rapid influx of Hispanic immigrants to the region has created a need for local organizations to address HIV/AIDS in "areas where infrastructure was not previously available," Frasca said. For example, the number of foreign-born residents in Mississippi has doubled since 2000, with half estimated to be Hispanic, according to the Center for Immigration Studies. Hispanic communities in the targeted states "are very different from what you will find in California, Texas or Florida," Frasca said.

Another challenge facing Southern states is a shortage of comprehensive data on the number of HIV cases among Hispanic immigrants. Any population data collected in Gulf Coast states prior to Hurricane Katrina are "completely out of date," Frasca said, adding that officials estimate that 3% of new cases in Mississippi occur among Hispanics. In North Carolina, more than 8% of new cases occur among Hispanics, which is "thought to be already substantially higher than the proportion of [Hispanics] in the state," he said (Martin, "Tell Me More," NPR, 5/7). read more

AIDS Orphan Advocates Call for Increased Community-Based Programs, Passage of PEPFAR Bill

Advocacy groups on Wednesday during a briefing about the millions of children worldwide who have lost one or both parents to AIDS called for an increase in community-based programs to assist AIDS orphans, as well as the passage of legislation to reauthorize the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, CQ HealthBeat reports (Cooley, CQ HealthBeat, 5/7). The House last month voted to approve a bill (HR 5501) that would reauthorize PEPFAR at $50 billion over the next five years, among other measures. The Senate version, which also would allocate $50 billion over five years, passed the Foreign Relations Committee in March and is awaiting floor consideration (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 4/3).

Speakers at the briefing -- which was hosted by the groups Global Action for Children and Francois-Xavier Bagnoud -- said that community-based efforts in addition to increases in PEPFAR funding are necessary to address HIV/AIDS. FXB Founder Albina du Boisrouvray said that local initiatives are needed to prevent children from "drifting" into commercial sex work or becoming child soldiers, which she called "ills that we spend so many billions fighting downstream instead of preventing upstream."

Jim Yong Kim -- a professor of health, human rights and medicine at Harvard University -- said, "We have to take a hard look at how we're spending our money." He and other speakers called for family-centered approaches to addressing AIDS orphans, adding that institutional care often is associated with poor outcomes. "Your average American, when thinking of the orphan crisis, thinks either of adoption or orphanages," advocate Diana Aubourg Millner said. She and Kim said that they support programs that encourage family members and communities to care for orphans.

Kim also said that money should be given directly to communities instead of large international and often faith-based groups. He said that cash transfers given directly to impoverished families have increased school enrollment and attendance in Honduras, Mexico, South Africa and Zambia. In addition, Kim emphasized the role of PEPFAR funding in supporting and expanding such initiatives. "Nothing has made me prouder of being an American than watching what PEPFAR has done," he said (CQ HealthBeat, 5/7). read more

Biotech Firm GeoVax Labs To Launch Phase II Trials of HIV Vaccine Candidate

The Atlanta-based biotechnology firm GeoVax Labs plans to launch Phase II clinical trials of its experimental HIV vaccine this summer, company officials recently announced, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports (Hendrick, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 5/8).

GeoVax while in midstage development of its HIV vaccine candidate enrolled 140 people in four independent national trials. The firm is developing the experimental HIV vaccine in collaboration with Emory University, CDC and NIH. According to Emory officials, a prototype of the vaccine provided long-term protection against development of AIDS in nonhuman primate studies conducted more than three years ago at the Yerkes National Primate Research Center in Atlanta. NIH awarded the firm a $15 million grant in October 2007 to further its research and continue human clinical trials (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 10/1/07).

The vaccine is the only candidate among several under development that is "on the verge" of being moved to Phase II trials by the HIV Vaccine Trials Network, the Journal-Constitution reports.

"The upcoming Phase II trial is being conducted in a larger number of healthy individuals," Bob McNally, president and CEO of GeoVax, said. He added, "Now that the delivery combinations of the vaccine have been worked out, the Phase II trial will expand the participants to 150 vaccinated volunteers and 75 volunteers as a control group who do not receive the vaccine."

The trial participants are not at risk of contracting HIV, and the purpose of the study is to gauge the CD4+ T cell and antibody response to the vaccine, according to McNally. "The significance of the results will be to give a level of comfort" to FDA and GeoVax that when the vaccine is given to at-risk participants, there will be a "high degree of likelihood that the patients will be protected from contracting the disease," McNally said.

"We've had excellent results in our early stage human trials," Harriet Robinson, chief scientific adviser to GeoVax, said. She noted that no vaccine has ever prevented infection but that she hopes the candidate will "prevent the development of disease and transmission." Robinson also said she hopes the vaccine might ultimately be administered to adolescents.

Mitchell Warren, executive director of the AIDS Vaccine Advocacy Coalition, said the vaccine's advancement to Phase II trials is a significant achievement. GeoVax's Phase I data are "compelling and warran[t] taking (the vaccine) into Phase II," he said. "But there is still much more to be done," Warren said. He added, "You are not looking for efficacy in these trials. That comes later in much larger trials. With GeoVax, they're still in the early phases of product development. The early data look good. If it looks good after Phase II, it will go into Phase III. There are still a number of more hurdles."

Warren noted that several candidates have advanced to Phase II trials, adding that two of three that advanced to Phase III have failed. Don Hildebrand, board chair of GeoVax, said that "only a handful of AIDS vaccines have reached" the same level of evaluation as GeoVax's (Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 5/8). read more

Rapid HIV Tests Highly Effective in Preventing Mother-to-Child HIV Transmission in India, Study Finds

Rapid HIV tests have been found to be highly effective in preventing mother-to-child HIV transmission in clinical trials in India, according to a study published online Tuesday in PLoS Medicine, the Times of India reports (Sinha, Times of India, 5/7). For the study, the researchers used OraSure Technologies' OraQuick Advance Rapid HIV 1/2 Antibody Test (Derfel, Montreal Gazette, 5/6).

The OraQuick test requires users to swab their gums and then place the swab in a holder. After 20 minutes, one line appears on the strip if the test result is negative and the person is HIV-negative, and two appear if the result is positive and the person is HIV-positive. Positive results require a follow-up test with a medical professional for confirmation (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 4/1). According to the Gazette, although standard blood tests are available in India, they are not always accessible. In addition, it can take up to two hours to receive results from standard blood tests, and laboratory technicians are not on call during the evening to administer the tests -- meaning that most women give birth without being tested for HIV (Montreal Gazette, 5/6).

For the study, Nitika Pant Pai of the division of infectious diseases at McGill University's Health Center and colleagues administered both an oral HIV test and a traditional blood test to 1,222 pregnant women during a nine-month period in the labor ward of the Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences in India. The results from both tests corresponded in 100% of cases, the researchers found (ANI/DailyIndia.com, 5/6). Of the participants, about 82% had never taken an HIV test, according to the study. The tests found that 11 women were HIV-positive. These women were given antiretroviral drugs to prevent MTCT. According to the study, 10 of these infants survived and tested negative for HIV.

According to the World Health Organization, there were 420,000 new HIV cases among children reported last year in India, most of which occurred through MTCT (Montreal Gazette, 5/6). "Most Indian women do not receive prenatal care and therefore do not get tested for HIV during pregnancy," Pai said, adding, "Testing in the labor ward is the last chance to prevent" MTCT (ANI/DailyIndia.com, 5/6). In addition, "Indian patients often refuse blood collection in fear" of being ostracized, but "saliva collection poses no problem," according to Pai (Times of India, 5/7). Pai suggested that the OraQuick test should become a standard procedure in India, as well as in South Africa and China (Montreal Gazette, 5/6).

The study is available online. read more

New HIV Cases Increasing in Germany, Institute Says

The number of new HIV cases reported in Germany increased by 4% in 2007, according to data recently released by the Robert Koch Institute, Xinhua/People's Daily reports. The country recorded 2,752 new HIV cases last year, compared with 2,643 in 2006, the institute said (Xinhua/People's Daily, 5/6).

There was a 12% increase in the number of new HIV cases reported among men who have sex with men, according to the institute. The researchers said that cases among MSM account for about 65% of all HIV cases in Germany, Deutsche Welle reports. New confirmed HIV cases declined among injection drug users and immigrants from countries with high HIV/AIDS burdens, the institute said (Deutsche Welle, 5/7).

However, new cases increased by 7.5% overall among heterosexuals, the data showed. Cases increased by 8% among men and declined by 12% among women. The institute said that urban areas -- including Berlin, Cologne, Duesseldorf, Frankfurt, Hamburg and Munich -- had the highest HIV risk (Xinhua/People's Daily, 5/6).

HIV/AIDS rates in Germany have increased steadily since 2001, which could be in part because of an increase in testing and early diagnosis, Deutsche Welle reports. RKI President Joerg Hacker noted that one of the "little-known reasons" for the increase in new HIV cases is the high number of syphilis cases in Germany. Germany has seen an increase in syphilis cases annually since 2004, Deutsche Welle reports. There are about 59,000 HIV-positive people living in the country (Deutsche Welle, 5/7). read more

Namibia To Launch Pilot HIV Testing, Counseling Project

The Namibian Ministry of Health and Social Services will launch a pilot project to provide no-cost HIV testing and counseling in certain regions of the country to mark its National HIV Testing Day on May 9, Namibia's New Era reports. The project will run in the Caprivi, Erongo, Oshana, Karas and Khomas regions for three days beginning on May 8. According to Oshana Health Director Naftali Hamata, the goal of the project is to encourage communities to access counseling and testing services, as well as to persuade large numbers of people to learn their HIV status. Hamata called on all members of the community, particularly men, to access no-cost testing and counseling at any health facility during the project time frame.

"Many a time, people, and especially men, are seeking counseling and testing when they are referred by doctors, getting married or for insurance," he said, adding, "More often they come to hospital when they are already wasted and appropriate assistance can no longer be given." Hamata also called on people who are unaware of their HIV status to be tested. "Knowing our status will help us to plan our future, live positively and be productive," he said. All regions involved in the project are required to meet specific targets, according to the New Era. Oshana is required to offer testing and counseling to 2,244 people during the three days of the project. The region last year provided testing to 21,558 people (Ingwafa, New Era, 5/7). read more

HIV/AIDS Funding in Tanzania Expected to Total $476M, Government Report Says

Funding for HIV/AIDS in Tanzania from the government and international donors from 2007 to 2008 is expected to total more than 568 billion Tanzanian shillings, or about $476 million, according to a recently released government report, the Africa Science News Service reports.

According to the report, aid from the U.S. and the Global Fund To Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria accounted for 86% of donor support in 2007 and might increase to more than 90% in 2008. In addition, the report found that funding for HIV/AIDS services is expected to equal 10% of all public expenditure in the country, or about 3% of Tanzania's gross domestic product.

The report also noted that in 2006, HIV treatment and care represented 64% of combined U.S. and Global Fund aid. HIV prevention accounted for 15% of total expenditure, and economic and social support accounted for 8% in 2006, the report found.

The report also predicts continued increases in HIV/AIDS aid at levels of more than 500 billion shillings, or about $419 million, in 2008. However, the increase is based on the confirmation of a proposed increase in funding from the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief to $300 million, Africa Science News Service reports (Neondo, Africa Science News Service, 5/7). read more

U.N. Launches Workplace HIV Program

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Tuesday launched U.N. Cares, a new workplace HIV program that will provide such services as training, counseling and testing for U.N. staff and their families, Xinhua/China View reports. The program aims to meet 10 minimum standards -- such as insurance coverage and condom access -- by the end of 2011 by making staff, time and resources more available. U.N. Cares will work in conjunction with the organization's advocacy and support network for HIV-positive employees, as well as address workplace stigma and discrimination. Fifteen U.N. bodies to date have pledged about $1.3 million to U.N. Cares, and Ban on Tuesday said that the U.N. Secretariat will provide about $350,000 as part of an initial contribution.

"Since the early 1990s, the impact of the virus on our work and on the communities we serve has been historic in magnitude," Ban said, adding, "At the same time, our workplace, our staff and our families are profoundly affected." According to Ban, the launch of U.N. Cares represents a "milestone in the U.N. response to HIV." Ban also pledged to make the United Nations a model workplace in its response to HIV/AIDS, adding that the organization's "performance will be only as good as the commitment and contribution of every one of us." In addition, Ban called on U.N. staff to learn essential information about HIV, take measures to protect themselves from contracting the virus and participate in U.N. Cares programs (Xinhua/China View, 5/6). read more

British Prime Minister Brown Holds Conference on Role of Businesses in Efforts To Meet MDGs

Multinational companies need to increase their efforts to address development issues worldwide, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said on Tuesday ahead of a conference on global businesses and the United Nations Millennium Development Goals, AFP/Google.com reports. The MDGs include targets to curb the spread of diseases such as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria. "This year must be a year of action if we are to tackle the development emergency we face," Brown said in a statement released ahead of the London conference, which will include the heads of more than 80 global businesses and leaders from countries such as Ghana and Rwanda.

The conference will highlight work being done by more than 12 companies, such as Citi, Coca-Cola, Diageo, Microsoft, Sumitomo Chemical, Thomson Reuters and Vodafone. Brown said that he hopes such work will inspire other businesses to help reach the MDG targets by the 2015 deadline. Kemal Dervis from the U.N. Development Programme said in a statement that the private sector is "one of the greatest untapped resources" to help meet MDG targets (AFP/Google.com, 5/5).

Brown in December 2007 called on at least 20 of the largest multinational companies to help global efforts aimed at meeting the MDGs. Brown said he will call for an MDG meeting during the U.N. General Assembly in September 2009 to galvanize efforts to accomplish the targets. Brown also will use a meeting of the Group of Eight industrialized nations in Japan this summer to provide incentives to meet the MDGs (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 12/11/07). read more

Government, Businesses Should Cooperate To Mitigate Effects of HIV/AIDS in Papua New Guinea, Conference Delegate Says

The government and businesses in Papua New Guinea should work together to alleviate the effects of HIV/AIDS and avoid a "catastrophic health burden," Australian Parliamentary Secretary for Pacific Island Affairs Duncan Kerr said Monday at the start of the 24th Papua New Guinea-Australia Business Forum, Papua New Guinea's Post-Courier reports.

Kerr acknowledged current efforts by the Business Council of Papua New Guinea, with help from the Australian government, to fight the spread of HIV but said that increased cooperation between the government and businesses is needed to effectively address the issue. "HIV/AIDS is a very significant threat to the strength of the economic future of Papua New Guinea," Kerr said, adding, "It's a very difficult territory. ... It is one of those areas that could significantly retract on the economic opportunities" for the country. According to Kerr, HIV/AIDS will pose an "unthinkable" health burden on Papua New Guinea, adding that the disease has already "penetrated" the country "quite widely" (Post-Courier, 5/6).

There are about 64,000 recorded HIV/AIDS cases in Papua New Guinea, but experts believe the actual number to be between 80,000 and 120,000. Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has said the number is expected to rise to at least 220,000 by 2025, even with increased HIV/AIDS education and prevention. According to experts, the number could rise to more than 500,000 by 2025 if increased efforts are not made (Kaiser Daily HIV/AIDS Report, 3/10). read more

Appropriate Treatment Methods Can Prevent Nearly All Risk of Mother-To-Child HIV Transmission, Study Says

Providing appropriate treatment methods to HIV-positive women during pregnancy can prevent nearly all risk of mother-to-child transmission of the virus, according to a study published online Wednesday in the journal AIDS, the PA/Google.com reports (Kirby, PA/Google.com, 5/6).

For the study, Claire Townsend, research fellow at the University College London Institute of Child Health, and colleagues analyzed 5,151 pregnancies among HIV-positive women in the United Kingdom and Ireland between 2000 and 2006. The study found that the rate of MTCT decreased to 1.2% from 20% in the mid-1990s.

According to the researchers, the primary reason for the decline was the increase in prenatal HIV testing following the implementation of routine screening policies in the countries, BBC News reports. Routine screening increased diagnosis rates before delivery from about 70% in 2000 to about 95% in 2005, data showed (BBC News, 5/6). Routine screening policies were introduced in Ireland in 1999 and between 2000 and 2003 in the United Kingdom, the PA/Google.com reports.

Expanded access to antiretroviral treatment for HIV-positive pregnant women also was a factor, researchers said. The HIV transmission rate for women taking antiretroviral therapy for a minimum of two weeks prior to delivery was 0.8%, according to the study (PA/Google.com, 5/6). The rate was found regardless of the type of antiretrovirals the women received or whether they had vaginal births or cesarean sections, the study found.

It was the first time such low rates of MTCT have been found at a population level, researchers said (BBC News, 5/6). Townsend said, "Continuing to improve the offer and uptake of antenatal HIV testing could have a significant impact on further reducing MTCT, since most perinatally acquired infection is now in infants whose mothers are among the approximately 5% of infected women who remain undiagnosed at delivery" (PA/Google.com, 5/6). She also said, "This emphasizes the importance of achieving and maintaining a high uptake of antenatal HIV testing on a national scale."

Lisa Power of the Terrence Higgins Trust said, "With the right treatment and relevant support, the vast majority of women living with HIV can have healthy uninfected children," adding, "This is why testing for HIV in pregnancy is so important and why treatment for pregnant women living with HIV in the [United Kingdom] should always be free, whatever their immigration status" (BBC News, 5/6).

The study is available online. read more

Daily HIV/AIDS Report