Study: Babies Born To HIV Positive Mothers Can Be Infection Free

London, England (AHN) - Nearly all babies born to HIV positive mothers can be free from the deadly disease if appropriate treatment is given to a woman in her pregnancy, a new study shows.

Nearly 99 percent of babies were born uninfected if recommended interventions were followed during pregnancy, University College London said in a study.

The study, published by AIDS Online, noted that caesarean section delivery reduces the risk of infection to the child but in many cases antiretroviral drugs (ART) are so effective that a normal delivery is possible.

The infant infection rate was just 1.2 percent in the study, which is a big decline on figures of around 20 percent in 1993. Transmission rates for women on ART for at least the last 14 days of pregnancy were 0.8 percent, regardless of type of therapy they received.

Researchers noted in the study, "Uptake of antenatal HIV testing rose rapidly following the introduction of routine screening policies in 1999 in Ireland and between 2000 and 2003 in the UK," adding that "with the estimated proportion of infected women diagnosed before delivery increasing from about 70 percent in 2000 to about 95 percent since 2005."

Researchers recommended early testing for all pregnant women to avoid any complications. If women are tested for HIV early enough in pregnancy for ART to be initiated, the risk of infection to their baby is very low indeed.