However, the elimination of
MTCT will require intensified efforts to strengthen each step in the PMTCT cascade, from promotion of early antenatal booking to timely identification and appropriate management of high-risk pregnant or breastfeeding women.
In the present study, the risk of
MTCT is revealed by the eight-fold increase in HBV infection among infants born to HBsAg positive mothers relative to infants born to HBsAg negative mothers and by the rise of this risk to 17 folds if the mother was also HBeAg positive.
The best example of the efficacy of biomedical interventions is the prevention of mother-to-child transmission (
MTCT).
In 1994, the American-French Paediatric Clinical Trial Group (PACTG 076) discovered that zidovudine (AZT) given to the mother in pregnancy, intravenously during labour and to the baby for 6 weeks after birth could reduce
MTCT rates by two-thirds, to 6-8% [3].
Choice of first-line therapy in this group is influenced by age, availability of paediatric formulations and resistance acquired during
MTCT or post-exposure prophylaxis.
Methods: Of the 41 women, 27 (66 %) received
MTCT prophylaxis: 3 received short course zidovudine (AZT), 19 single-dose nevirapine (NVP), and 5 both AZT and NVP.
Therefore, issues of fertility, fertility potential, and
MTCT are particularly germane to this patient population.
Strikingly, even though it was published in 2000, the report lacked reference to any objective encompassing research on or development of ARV medication outside the context of
MTCT. (29)
Without intervention, as many as 30%-45% of pregnant women infected with HIV will pass the virus to their children through mother-to-child transmission (
MTCT) (4), of which 15%-30% is intrauterine or intrapartum.
The South African Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) had launched the suit in August 2001, demanding a comprehensive program to prevent mother-to-child transmission (
MTCT).
In February, Stanford University researcher David Katzenstein reported that some HIV-positive pregnant women in Zimbabwe who were given a single dose of nevirapine to prevent mother to child transmission (
MTCT) of HIV had drug resistant virus in their breast milk.
Commenting on the award, Michael Solley, President and CEO of
MTCT said, "This is yet another example of the Air Force expressing confidence in the ability of our MTC professionals to assist the Service by providing value-added initiatives to develop concepts and strategy for the transformation process."
