[Prevention of vertical transmission of HIV in Denmark]

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.

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.

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.

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.