Management of HIV infection in pregnancy

Abstract Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) remains an important global infection and cause of significant morbidity and mortality. The majority of new HIV infection occurs in the developing world, where women and their children are greatly affected by the consequences of HIV associated disease. By comparison, in the developed world, women represent a minority of those with new HIV infection. The problems associated with the management of pregnancy and childbirth require specialist care across multidisciplinary teams to ensure the best clinical outcome for mothers and their babies, as well as assuring the confidentiality and safety of patient care and public health. Preventing mother-to-child-transmission (MTCT) has been the goal of research and collaborative guidelines in the UK for much of the past decade and has contributed to reducing MTCT, which is now a rare occurrence in the UK. The global target of eliminating MTCT requires a major and sustained effort to improve access to testing, antiretroviral therapy and expert multidisciplinary care.