33-4DYC Vertical transmission of HIV/AIDS: what is there in the literature about it?

IntroductionVertical transmission of HIV/AIDS, which occurs from mother to child, is the main means of infecting children with the disease, being the cause of 90% of HIV cases in children under 13 years of age. In the period from 2000 to 2023, 158,429 pregnant/parturient/postpartum women infected with HIV were reported in Brazil. Around 15 to 30% of children born to HIV-positive mothers acquire the virus during pregnancy, during labor or birth or while breastfeeding.ObjectiveCheck what is in the literature about vertical transmission in Brazil and other countries, and its outcomes.MethodsThis is an integrative review, where research was carried out in the following databases: Pubmed, Scielo and Virtual Health Library, as well as Ministry of Health and similar websites, in Portuguese, English and Spanish.ResultsFrom 2015 to June 2023, 67,850 children with HIV were reported in the Notifiable Diseases Information System (Sinan) in Brazil. In 2022, 7,943 Brazilian pregnant women living with HIV were reported, with 4,666 live births, however, there were reports of 7,951 exposed children in the same year. Still in 2022, 60% of women knew they were HIV positive before pregnancy, and around 90% of women received prenatal care, however, the use of the retroviral ART was reported in only 66.8% of cases. The percentage of pregnant/parturient/postpartum women not using ART was 13.5% and in 19.7% of cases information about the use of therapy was ignored in 2022. In the same year, there were around 395 unfavorable pregnancy outcomes, with 84 stillborn and 311 miscarriages, accounting for 7.3% of the total cases of known pregnancy outcome. African countries have demonstrated high rates of vertical transmission of the disease, accompanied by many stigmas, problems with access to healthcare and adequate information, pregnant women without basic infrastructure and low use of retrovirals. On the other hand, Oman managed to eliminate the vertical transmission of HIV and syphilis, which was certified by the WHO in 2022. To achieve this, the country relied on strong political leadership, long-term planning and massive investments in maternal and child health services, as well as campaigns and other means of popular education about sexually transmitted infections.ConclusionVertical transmission rates still remain high, mainly due to insufficient use of retrovirals. However, some countries have already managed to eliminate the problem, serving as hope and inspiration so that othe