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Providing antiretroviral drugs during pregnancy and delivery dramatically reduces the likelihood of a mother transmitting HIV to her infant. This year, three randomized trials demonstrated the benefits of extending antiretroviral prophylaxis throughout breast-feeding — and ultimately led to a change in the WHO treatment guidelines.
The most dramatic results came from the Mma Bana study in Botswana, which involved 730 HIV-infected pregnant women with CD4 counts ≥200 cells/mm3 who were randomized to receive one of two triple-drug regimens in the third trimester and continue through 6 months of breast-feeding. By 6 months, only 1% of the women had transmitted HIV to their infants — the lowest rate ever reported for an HIV-infected breast-feedin…