Mother to Child Transmission of AIDS

Paper Summary:

The writer notes that from a humanitarian point of view, as well as from an economic point of view, it would seem appropriate that authorities should endeavour to protect the most innocent of all innocent victims - new born babies. The writer then discusses that the existence of effective drugs offers the possibility of saving literally millions of newborns from the horrible fate of being born with AIDS. Thus, it would seem that curbing mother to child transmission of AIDS (MTCT) with the use of antiretrovirals should be the top priority of governments in sub-Saharan Africa. This would be the most humane and cost-effective way of coping with the AIDS crisis in the medium to long term. Yet this is not the case. This essay seeks to examine the extent to which MTCT is being combated in sub-Saharan Africa, the reasons for this lack of commitment and to come up with suggestions to improve the situation.

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Methodology
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From the Paper:

"The last-mentioned factor brings us to another problem that complicates the issue of MTCT in Africa. There is some controversy over the issue of nursing, as some studies have indicated that HIV is not transmitted in this way, while others have suggested that in poverty-stricken communities, the benefits of breast milk outweigh the risks posed by possible MTCT of AIDS. The problem is that - unlike in North America - in sub-Saharan Africa countless numbers of babies die of malnutrition, or from infectious diseases. Breast milk provides some measure of protection from both of these, as it is an ideal source of nutrition, and also passes the mother's antibodies to infants. Thus, it is extremely difficult to know whether to advise HIV positive mothers not to nurse - more harm may be done than good."

Sample of Sources Used:

• Avert. (2006). What is mother to child transmission? Retrieved from web site: http://www.avert.org/motherchild.htm
• Baek, C. & Rutenberg, N. (2005). Field experiences integrating family planning into programs to prevent Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV. Studies in Family Planning, 36(3), 235+.
• Barnett, Tony and Alan Whiteside. (2002). AIDS in the Twenty-First Century. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
• Gostin, L. O. (2002). Aids in Africa among women and infants: A human rights framework. The Hastings Center Report, 32(5), 9+.
• Kalipeni, Ezekiel, Susan Craddock, Joseph R. Oppong, and Jayati Ghosi. (2004). HIV & AIDS in Africa: Beyond Epidemiology. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing.

More papers on Mother to Child Transmission of AIDS:

• Persuasive Essay # 134101 : "Mother to Child Transmission of AIDS"
• Research Paper # 133915 : "Mother to Child Transmission of AIDS in Africa"
• Research Proposal # 104493 : "Mother to Child Transmission of AIDS in Africa"

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