That's a very important sentinel. Still, he said, a much higher proportion of new infections and existing infections in Africa are among babies and young children. Postpartum infection is still high there, as well as a considerable amount of transmission via breastfeeding. The substantial progress made in preventing perinatal transmission by the United States paved the way for the recent successes in developing countries, he said. The number of HIV-infected women who deliver babies in the U.S. every year has been fairly steady at between 6,000 and 7,000 per year.
Drug resistance continues to be a real consequence of treatment.
Being compliant with one's medication continues to be a significant challenge, and there are major gaps in medication access. We have to be a partner with our patient. We have to meet in the middle somewhere. It's also important, she noted, that whatever preventive is developed not interrupt the various natural defense systems of the vagina. Acknowledging that scientists still are not sure exactly where in the female genital tract HIV transmission occurs, she said it is important that researchers designing prevention methods for women consider the intricacies of the female anatomy.