Antiretroviral Drugs in the Cupboard are Not Enough: The Impact of Health Systems' Performance on Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV

Abstract

Introduction of more effective combination antiretroviral interventions will yield only marginal reductions in childhood HIV infections and mortality unless health systems achieve high levels of performance at each step of the PMTCT pathway. Investment in and support for the mechanisms of delivering and sustaining PMTCT interventions at scale are required if gains in maternal and child survival are to be realized in countries highly affected by HIV.