HIV can be transmitted to a child during pregnancy, childbirth or breastfeeding
Children can be infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) through vertical transmission, which occurs during pregnancy, childbirth or breastfeeding.. According to the Ministry of Health, from 2017 to 2020 there was a 50% drop in the contamination of the disease in pregnant women, from 8,577 to 4,280, which may have impacted on the reduction of children up to 5 years of age infected with HIV.
HIV INFECTION IN CHILDREN UP TO 5 YEARS OLD HAS A DROP OF ALMOST 90%
Data from the Department of Diseases of Chronic Conditions and Sexually Transmitted Infections (DCCI), of the Ministry of Health, showed a significant reduction in the rate of children up to 5 years of age infected by the virus that attacks the immune system. In 12 years – 2009 to 2021 – there was a drop from 562 to 74 positive diagnoses within this group, which represents a decrease of 87%.
“Having HIV is not the same thing as having AIDS. There are many HIV-positive people who live for years without showing symptoms and without developing the disease. But they can transmit the virus to other people.”, explains the Ministry of Health about the disease. In addition to transmission between mother and fetus and also by unprotected sexHIV can be transmitted by contaminated syringes.
When it comes to AIDS in Brazil, the number of cases dropped by 69% between 2013 and 2021. The same was observed in the deaths, which had a reduction from just over 12,000 to around 10,000 between 2015 and 2020.
Source: Recreio
