What is PMTCT?
And What is the Treatment Approach?
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PMTCT stands for the “Prevention of Mother-To-Child Transmission of HIV”. It is sometimes referred to as preventing “vertical transmission.” An HIV positive mother has a 20-45% chance of transmitting the disease to her unborn child. When the mother receives properly administered treatment, the rate of transmission can be reduced to less than 5%.
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According to the World Health Organization (WHO), proper treatment for the mother consists of ARV therapy beginning at 14 weeks into pregnancy and continuing until the child is one year of age if breastfeeding (a total of 78 weeks).
