Tuesday, September 11, 2012

How Does HIV Effect Infants




Pregnant HIV infected mothers transmits the HIV virus to their child  through the actual pregnancy,labor, delivery and breastfeeding. A mother and child share a lot of body functions. As the infants develops to 18-24 months they will go through a process where the infants personal human immune system kicks in. In some cases HIV patients benefit  from this process.  The body has been known to kicks out the HIV virus during this process  the infant may tests negative for HIV virus after this process takes place.

International Aids and HIV stated” That pregnant woman that are infected with HIV, she can transmit the virus to her baby during pregnancy, labor and delivery, or breastfeeding. Without treatment, around 15-30 percent of babies born to HIV-infected women will become infected with HIV during pregnancy and delivery. A further 5-20 percent will become infected through breastfeeding.
Accounts for nearly all pediatric AIDS cases. HIV transmission from mother to child during pregnancy, labor and delivery or by breast feeding accounted for approximately 93% of all AIDS cases reported among U.S. children between 1985 and 2005."

Statistics on a national level, HIV/AIDS surveillance and other studies continue to demonstrate that perinatal HIV prevention efforts are making a difference.


Pediatric HIV cases:
Between 1991 and 2004, the number of new prenatally acquired HIV cases in the United States declined more than 80% from an estimated 1,650 (41) to an estimated 96 to 186 (44).
Pediatric AIDS cases:
Between 1992 and 2005, prenatally acquired AIDS cases declined 93% in the United States from 855 cases to 57 cases (9)




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