Abstract:
There are increasing calls for the use of highly
active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) for the prevention of
perinatal mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV.1 This
approach does not recognise the weaknesses in health systems
to implement complex treatment protocols. In addition, the
safety of HAART during pregnancy is uncertain and the
consequences of stopping HAART if not required outside
pregnancy are unknown. If the same PMTCT of HIV could
be attained with a simple regimen with proven safety and
known adverse drug effects, this would be a better option in
most under-resourced countries.2 The superiority of HAART
compared with dual therapy according to World Health
Organization (WHO) recommendations for immune-competent
women to reduce PMTCT has not been proven.3
We aimed to determine whether there is a difference in
perinatal HIV transmission on HAART therapy compared with
the national dual-therapy regimen. In addition, the relation
between CD4 counts and transmission in the dual-therapy
group was investigated.
