For the past year and a half, Almaty has recorded no cases of mother-to-child HIV transmission. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Kursiv Media.

According to the city's public health department, this result was achieved through early detection of infection, timely initiation of treatment, and continuous medical support for pregnant women and newborns.

Marat Tukeeyev, director of the city's Center for AIDS Prevention and Control, said that women with HIV can give birth to a healthy child if they undergo timely examination and start necessary therapy.

"Prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of HIV infection are included in the guaranteed volume of free medical care. Every pregnant woman in Kazakhstan undergoes HIV testing twice, which allows detecting infection at an early stage and immediately starting treatment," Tukeeyev said.

After diagnosis confirmation, the expectant mother is prescribed free antiretroviral therapy. Modern drugs can reduce viral load to undetectable levels, reducing the risk of transmission to the child to 0–2%.

After birth, the infant remains under medical supervision. In the first hours of life, preventive treatment is administered, and then specialists from the AIDS Center regularly examine the child. If by about 18 months all test results remain negative, the child is removed from dispensary registration as healthy.

In addition to medical care, families receive free infant formula through primary healthcare organizations during the first year of the baby's life.

According to specialists, today in Almaty, 100% of pregnant women and newborns are covered by preventive programs.

Since 2020, the city has also been testing sexual partners of pregnant women for HIV, allowing timely identification of potential risks and prevention of infection transmission within the family.

Doctors emphasize that if medical recommendations are followed, women with HIV can successfully carry a pregnancy and give birth to a healthy child.

Earlier, Kursiv reported that scientists tested a new approach to combating HIV in infants. Meanwhile, today about 1.5 million children worldwide live with HIV, and approximately 130,000 infants become infected with the virus annually.

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