Introduction: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a RNA virus that can be transmitted parenterally, sexually or vertically. An effective prevention strategy has been implemented in industrialised countries, thereby reducing vertical transmission from 15-25% to < 1%. The aim of this study was to describe vertical transmission of HIV in Denmark after the introduction of ART.
Materials and methods: The study was a retrospective study of all HIV-infected women who gave birth in Denmark between 1 January 2000 and 31 May 2005 and their children.
Results: 83 HIV-infected women gave birth to 96 children during the study period. In 79% of the cases, the woman knew her HIV status at the beginning of her pregnancy. The median CD4 count before delivery was 447 x 10(6)/l, and in 76% of the cases the HIV-RNA was < 20 copies/ml. 88% of the women delivered by Caesarean section. None of the children were breastfed. None of the children were infected during pregnancy, delivery or after birth. During the same period of time, 8 children were diagnosed with HIV in Denmark; they were born to mothers whose HIV infection was not diagnosed during pregnancy or delivery and therefore preventive treatment was not initiated.
Conclusion: As long as preventive treatment strategies are followed, there is no transmission of HIV from mother to child, neither during pregnancy nor during or after birth.