Sub-Saharan Africa is home of 85 % of pregnant women living with HIV and 90 % of HIV-infected children. WHO issued the first prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT) recommendations in 2000. These guidelines have been revised to incorporate new evidence and align with the goal of universal treatment access and zero infections among children. Currently, 82 % of HIV-infected pregnant women receive antiretroviral treatment, and infections among children have halved since 2010. However, in 2018, 160,000 children became infected. Reasons hindering the success of PMTCT are: a) non-universal HIV testing during pregnancy; b) low retention through the PMTCT cascade; and c) missed opportunities to diagnose women who acquire HIV while pregnant or breastfeeding. To address these gaps innovative strategies are needed.
Keywords: Afrique subsaharienne; Eliminierung von MTCT; HIV; PMTCT; PTME; Subsahara-Afrika; VIH; elimination of MTCT; sub-Saharan Africa; élimination de la PTME.