The AIDS Beacon™

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) released new guidelines last week regarding treatment for pregnant HIV-positive women and prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV.

The guidelines include updates on preferred regimens for prevention of HIV transmission during pregnancy.

According to the report, fewer than 200 children are now born with HIV in the United States each year, as a result of efforts to limit mother-to-child transmission.

Transmission of HIV from a pregnant woman to her baby can occur during pregnancy, labor, or while breastfeeding after the baby is born. To…

The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved revisions to the package insert for Sustiva (efavirenz) capsules and tablets to include new information on potential birth defects, liver toxicity, and drug interactions.

Sustiva, which is an antiretroviral drug made by Bristol-Myers Squibb, is approved by the FDA for use in combination with other antiretroviral agents in HIV-positive adults and children older than three years of age.

Sustiva is classified as a Pregnancy Category D drug, indicating there is evidence it can cause birth defects.

The new label has…

According to a recently published study in PLoS One, HIV-positive women who are receiving antiretroviral therapy (ART) are twice as likely to become pregnant as those not receiving ART.

The study was conducted among Sub-Saharan African women who were enrolled in the Mother-to-Child Transmission-Plus (MTCT-Plus) Initiative, which is an HIV treatment program for women and children.

Of the 4,531 women studied, 589 pregnancies were recorded, where 244 pregnancies occurred among women not receiving ART and 345 pregnancies among women receiving ART.

The researchers of this study wanted to…

A recent study was conducted in Ontario, Canada, to determine the current fertility intentions of HIV-positive women. Researchers found that more HIV-positive women than before are planning on becoming pregnant. The implications of the study call for health care providers and policy makers to prepare the necessary services for HIV-positive women planning pregnancy.

Ontario was selected as a suitable sample population because its relaxed immigration policies allow for a large population of African refugees. It is thought that because of these qualities, the study results are indicative of the global…

On October 8, the first in a new series of clinical trials began testing the H1N1 influenza vaccine’s effects on HIV-positive pregnant women. Trials with HIV-positive children and youth were scheduled to begin the following week.

These will be the first trials to examine whether the existing vaccine can safely induce an immune response in these higher-risk groups.

HIV-infected individuals have the same risk of getting H1N1 flu, or swine flu, as everyone else. However, they are more likely to develop a more serious complication, such as pneumonia, as a…

According to a recent report, more than four million people living in low- to middle-income countries are now receiving antiretroviral therapy.

The report, released by the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), and the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), details other improvements in HIV/AIDS care as well, including figures related to treatment, testing and counseling, women and children, and at-risk populations.

Forty two percent of the estimated 9.5 million people in need of antiretroviral therapy (ART) in low- to middle-income countries are receiving care.…

A recent study shows that pregnant women who are HIV positive may increase their immune response and decrease the amount of HIV in their bodies if given highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) during pregnancy.

HAART is typically composed of three to four different antiretroviral drugs and can help slow down replication of the virus and control HIV levels in the blood. For this reason antiretroviral therapy has proven successful in slowing the progression of HIV to AIDS and decreasing the likelihood of transmission of the virus to the fetus during…