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HIV in the UK: facts and statisticsHIV is one of the fastest growing serious health conditions in the UK. There are now more people living with HIV in the UK than ever before, over a quarter of whom don’t know they have the virus. |  |
Mother to baby transmission
Rates of HIV transmission from women to their babies in the UK are very low. In 2008 just 1.3% of new HIV diagnoses in the UK were cases of mother-to-child transmission. Overall there have been just 1,829 cases from the start of the HIV epidemic through to the end of 2008. This is because of early intervention, treatment and care.
Antenatal screening, treatment to block transmission, avoiding breastfeeding, and elective Caesarean delivery have all dramatically reduced the number of new cases diagnosed. Using all these methods, the chances of a woman with HIV having a healthy baby have increased dramatically and are now around 99%.
More information
You can read more about how babies can get HIV from their mothers, and how this risk can be lowered, elsewhere on our website.
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