HIV positive women can have HIV negative children

It is likely that many women who are HIV positive will not give birth to children who are also infected with the virus, experts have claimed.

The likelihood that pregnant women will pass on HIV is "slim", according to Warren W Buckingham III, the Kenya country coordinator for president’s emergency plan for AIDS relief.

However, he insisted that this was only the case if women took the necessary measures to prevent HIV being passed on, such as getting health advice.

He told Africa Science News Service: "Being pregnant and HIV positive doesn't mean that you cannot give birth to a HIV negative child. Provided that you attend your ante natal care and deliver in a health care, chances of such mothers to get HIV positive children are slim."

Meanwhile, Boaz Nyunya, technical adviser of the Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission Programme, added that more people need to get involved in the scheme in Kenya, but men especially shy away due to "fear of stigma and discrimination".

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