Long abstract

Worldwide about 800,000 children a year get HIV infection from their mothers—either during pregnancy, childbirth, or breastfeeding. Countries have the potential to prevent a large share of these infections through low-cost, effective interventions. UN agencies have taken the lead in helping developing countries to mount programs for prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT). This overview report presents key findings from an evaluation of UN-supported pilot PMTCT projects in eleven countries, including: Botswana, Burundi, Cote d’Ivoire, Honduras, India, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

This 49-page evaluation identifies the benefits of introducing PMTCT into existing maternal/child health services, which appear to go far beyond providing antiretroviral (ARV) drugs.