Mother & Father have HIV/AIDS, can they Produce Children without it?

When a mother and father have HIV/AIDS, can they produce children without HIV/AIDS? … Tibalwa Faith P.6, 12 years Bufulubi Primary School

Response from Parkhurst, Justin (D.Phil):
Dear Tibalwa Faith
Yes it is possible for women who are HIV positive to have children who do not have the HIV virus. In fact, most of the time (about two thirds of the time) the child will not be infected. However, there are also medicines that doctors can give pregnant women which can greatly reduce the chance of infection even more. So if a woman has HIV/AIDS and is pregnant it is very important to speak to a doctor about what can be done to help reduce the risk to the child.

Response from Dr Brondi Luciana:
Dear Faith,
The answer to your question is yes, they can produce children without HIV/AIDS. The chances of transmitting HIV to the child will vary depending on different factors, including breastfeeding (increases the chances of transmission). In developing countries the chance of transmitting the virus to the child can be over 40%. In developed countries, with all the resources available, the transmission of HIV from mother to child is very low (around 2%). The best thing to do in any case is to look for medical once pregnant. This kind of medical care is called antenatal care. During antenatal care the mother will be able to receive medical help that will be good for herself and also for her baby. Having antenatal care can reduce the chance of HIV transmission.

I hope you find this helpful