Updated preventive drug guidelines could reduce mother-to-child HIV transmission

Women who have HIV, whether they are aware of their infection or not, can transmit the virus to their children through breastfeeding. Medications that have previously been administered to newborns over a six-week period lowered the infants' risk of contracting HIV from their mothers during this time.

However, the drug regimens have recently been found to be more effective when provided for six months, according to a new study conducted by researchers from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.

While mothers who have been diagnosed with HIV are advised not to breastfeed, some women must do so to ensure that their child is getting a sufficient amount of some nutrients that are not available in baby formulas.

The study results showed that babies who underwent the six-month treatment program were 50 percent less likely to acquire the virus from breastfeeding than those who received only six weeks of the antiretroviral treatment.

The study's authors said that each year, between 100 and 200 HIV-infected babies are born to mothers in the U.S., many of whom were not being treated for the disease during pregnancy because they had not been tested.

Online testing services are available to anyone who would like to be checked for HIV.