How many infants are at risk of HIV?
Risk to infants of HIV-infected mothers.In the absence of any intervention, between 15 and 30 percent of infants of HIV-infected mothers are infected before or during delivery. If all HIV-infected mothers breastfeed, another 10 to 20 percent of their infants will be infected through breastfeeding. This means that about two-thirds of children of HIV-infected women will not become infected.Risk to all infants in a community.Although the percentage of mothers infected with HIV approaches 40 percent in some African communities, it generally is much lower, rarely above 25 percent (one in four).The risk of HIV transmission via breastfeeding can be calculated by multiplying the HIV prevalence rate among mothers at the time of delivery (25 percent in the example below) by 15 percent (25 percent at risk x 15 percent infected through breastfeeding = 3.75 percent). In other words, even where 25 percent of women are infected with HIV and all of them breastfeed, less than 4 percent of all infants i
Risk to infants of HIV-infected mothers. In the absence of any intervention, between 15 and 30 percent of infants of HIV-infected mothers are infected before or during delivery. If all HIV-infected mothers breastfeed, another 10 to 20 percent of their infants will be infected through breastfeeding. This means that about two-thirds of children of HIV-infected women will not become infected. Risk to all infants in a community. Although the percentage of mothers infected with HIV approaches 40 percent in some African communities, it generally is much lower, rarely above 25 percent (one in four). The risk of HIV transmission via breastfeeding can be calculated by multiplying the HIV prevalence rate among mothers at the time of delivery (25 percent in the example below) by 15 percent (25 percent at risk x 15 percent infected through breastfeeding = 3.75 percent). In other words, even where 25 percent of women are infected with HIV and all of them breastfeed, less than 4 percent of all infan
