In the 20 years since the first description of the clinical manifestations
of HIV infection, more than 32 million people have been infected worldwide.
In untreated, HIV-infected pregnant women, the risk of maternal-child tran
smission varies from 16 to 40%. In developed countries, utilizing combinati
ons of available medications and elective cesarean sections, it is possible
to lower the transmission rates to less than 2 to 4%. Effective programs u
se universal screening of pregnant women, perinatal antiretroviral therapy,
and, at times, delivery via elective cesarean section. In resource-poor ar
eas, major barriers remain to the control of maternal-child transmission. C
urr Opin Pediatr 2001,13:408-416 (C) 2001 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, In
c.