How can HIV pass from a parent to a baby?

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AIDS Scanning electron micrograph of HIV-1 virions (green) budding from a cultured lymphocyte. Multiple round bumps on the cell surface represent sites of virion assembly and budding.

HIV can be transmitted from an HIV-positive mother to her baby during pregnancy, labor, delivery, or while breast-feeding. This process is known as perinatal or vertical transmission and is the most common way children become infected with the virus.1

Without preventative measures, the risk of transmission is approximately 15 to 30 percent, rising to as high as 45 percent with prolonged breast-feeding. However, this risk can be reduced to less than 2 percent through the use of antiretroviral drugs by the mother before birth and during delivery, combined with formula feeding and antiretroviral therapy for the newborn. Other interventions, such as an elective cesarean section, may also lower transmission risk, though they carry potential complications for the mother.1

It is a fundamental ethical imperative to ensure that all pregnant individuals have access to the testing, medical care, and antiretroviral treatments necessary to protect both their health and the health of their children.1