Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1996. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
The Associated Press - Thursday, 28 November 1996 01:02 A.M.
The findings are based on a landmark study that found that women reduce their risk of transmitting HIV during childbirth by two-thirds if they take the AIDS drug AZT.
The research found that the risk is greatest if the mother has high amounts of HIV. But there appears to be no safe level.
That conclusion supports the current recommendation that pregnant women infected with HIV take AZT during their last trimester. AZT, also known as zidovudine, reduces virus levels in the bloodstream somewhat.
Dr. Rhoda S. Sperling and others from Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City followed 402 pairs of mothers and babies for 18 months after birth. They had been randomly assigned to take either AZT or dummy medication.
The results were published in today's New England Journal of medicine.
The Centers for Disease Control recently reported that routine use of AZT among infected pregnant women in the United States has dramatically reduced AIDS cases in children.
However, most such cases of AIDS occur in poor countries, where lengthy use of AZT is too expensive.
In an editorial in the journal, Dr. Catherine M. Wilfert of Duke University said it may be possible to reduce the risk in these places by giving AZT briefly at the time of birth.
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