The use of highly active antiretroviral therapy for the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of the human immunodeficiency virus in Nigeria

Mother-to-child transmission of HIV accounts for 90% of paediatric HIV. The objective of this paper is to assess the outcome of preventing mother-to-child transmission of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), using highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART). All pregnant women booking for antenatal care at the University of Maiduguri teaching hospital received voluntary counselling and testing for HIV. All HIV-positive mothers were placed on HAART for the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV. All exposed babies received single dose nevirapine within 72 h of birth and zidovudine syrup for 6 weeks. The babies were then tested for viral DNA using the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) at 6 and 12 weeks of age. Among 5,461 mothers screened for HIV during the study period, 695 (12.7%) were confirmed HIV-positive. Out of 446 mother-baby pairs followed up to a minimum period of 6 months postpartum, only five (1.1%) babies were HIV-positive.