More than 95 % of people infected by HIV live in Sub-Saharan Africa and in parts of Asia where effective antiretroviral drugs are hardly available. Besides the high costs of these drugs their distribution is sometimes very difficult. Even if the drugs were available, the general poor living conditions (food shortage and lack of safe drinking water) often make it almost impossible to take the drugs in the necessary way - for example with certain kind of foods and following a strict timetable.

But there are some special programmes, for example carried out by the World Health Organisation (WHO), which try to minimise at least the direct mother to child transmission during delivery with the simplest possible measures. Even just one dose of a specific antiviral drug given to the mother during labour, and one dose given to the child within 72 hours after birth can cut infection rates by up to 50%.

But there still remains the problem of the transmission through breast-feeding. If there is no clean water or no formula available bottle-feeding is not an alternative. There are also the extensive social problems if the mother falls ill with AIDS or even dies within some years.

• HIV-positive and pregnant?
• How is life with HIV today?
• What are the risks for mother and child?
• How can the transmission of the virus be prevented?
• What if the father, not the mother, is HIV-positive?
• What is the situation in developing countries?