Is peripartum zidovudine absolutely necessary for patients with a viral load less than 1,000 copies/ml?

Abstract

Late access to obstetrics service, viral load of >1,000 copies/ml and short duration antenatal highly active antiretroviral treatment (HAART), are the strongest predictors for mother-to-child transmission (MTCT). Neonatal triple therapy did not seem to reduce MTCT if the above risk factors were present. Intrapartum intravenous zidovudine (i.v. ZDV) of <4 h does not seem to increase the risk of MTCT if the viral load is <1,000 in those receiving HAART. Intrapartum i.v. ZDV >4 h did not seem to reduce the risk of MTCT with the viral load >1,000 in patients having <4 weeks of HAART.

Keywords::

• HIV
• mother-to-child transmission
• MTCT
• viral load
• Zidovudine

Declaration of interest: The author report no conflicts of interest. The author alone is responsible for the content and writing of the paper.