Mother to Child Transmission of HIV and its Prevention with AZT and Nevirapine

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Mother to Child Transmission of HIV and its Prevention with AZT and Nevirapine: A Critical Analysis of the Evidence is a 2001 book (updated May 2005) by the Perth Group.

Available in PDF format

The entire book is available in PDF format: Mother to Child Transmission of HIV and its Prevention with AZT and Nevirapine

Conclusions

The book grew out of the South African Presidential AIDS Advisory Panel. Its purpose is to address "whether a unique retrovirus is transmitted from pregnant women to their children and whether compounds such as zidovudine (AZT) and nevirapine are able to prevent such transmission." It is concluded that:

1. "...the validity of every laboratory test presently used to prove HIV infection has been disputed by the HIV experts themselves."
2. "At present there is no proof that HIV, even if it is assumed to be present in pregnant women, is perinatally transmitted to their offspring."
3. "The presently available data do not prove that HIV can be transmitted by breastfeeding."
4. "At present, no proof exists that children become infected by their mothers either in utero or post partum with a unique human retrovirus, HIV or this can be prevented by AZT or nevirapine."
5. "Many factors affect the putative MCT. An approach to MCT taking into consideration these factors will lead not only to a decrease in MCT but also to general improvement in well-being of both mothers and children."
6. "The one necessary and sufficient measure to decrease childhood mortality in the developing world, including deaths from "AIDS", as well as the phenomena claimed to prove HIV infection and thus the putative mother-to-child transmission of “HIV”, is to eliminate poverty."

Contents

• Acknowledgements
• Dedication
• Prologue

1. Tests Used to Determine HIV Infection
2. Epidemiological Evidence for Mother to Child Transmission of HIV
3. Breast Feeding and Transmission of HIV
4. Evidence Claimed to Prove AZT and Nevirapine Reduce MTC Transmission of HIV
5. Alternative Prevention of the Putative Mother to Child Transmission of HIV
6. General Discussion

• References
• Appendix I: The WHO Bangui Definition 1986
• Appendix II: CDC 1987 Classification System for HIV Infection in Children under 13 years of age
• Appendix III: CDC 1994 Revised Classification System for HIV Infection in Children under 13 years of age
• Appendix IV: CDC 2000 Revised AIDS Surveillance Definition
• Appendix V: Reported Literature Measuring AZT triphosphorylation in Humans
• Appendix VI: AZT administration versus “Viral Load”
• Appendix VII: AIDS Reporting form for South Africa
• Appendix VIII: AIDS Reporting form for Uganda
• Appendix IX: Calculation of the probability of HIV transmission between sexual partners
• Appendix X: Email Correspondence with the CDC re Scientific Basis of HIV Testing in Children and Adults
• Appendix XI: A Critical Examination of the Evidence for the Existence of HIV