SynthesisTropical medicine & international health : TM & IH2022
The impact of Option B+ on mother-to-child transmission of HIV in Africa: A systematic review.
Synthesis in Tropical medicine & international health : TM & IH, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- The impact of Option B+ on mother-to-child transmission of HIV in Africa: A systematic review.Tropical medicine & international health : TM & IH · 2022Pooled it
- The Mental Health of Adults Living with HIV in Sub-Saharan Africa: Interventions along the HIV Care Continuum - A Systematic Review.AIDS and behavior · 2026Review
- Observational
- Reduced anti-viral IgG repertoire in HIV-exposed but uninfected infants compared to HIV-unexposed infants.iScience · 2024Article
- "I desire to have an HIV-free baby": pregnant and breastfeeding mothers' perceptions of Viral load testing and suppression in HIV care in southwestern Uganda.Discover social science and health · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveIn 2015, the WHO released new guidelines to reduce mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of HIV. The recommendations, known as Option B+, included initiation of lifelong highly active antiretroviral therapy regardless of CD4 count for all HIV-positive pregnant and breastfeeding mothers. For infants, exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months and antiviral therapy were sanctioned. Targets of <5% transmission in breastfeeding populations and <2% in non-breastfeeding populations were set. This review evaluated the impact of Option B+ on MTCT in African countries.
methodsUsing the PRISMA guidelines, a systematic search of PubMed and Google Scholar databases was conducted to identify relevant studies published between 2015 and 2021. All studies meeting inclusion criteria were evaluated.
resultsOf the 687 references screened, 22 studies from 11 countries (Cameroon, Ethiopia, Lesotho, Malawi, Rwanda, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe) met inclusion criteria. Six studies reported MTCT rates of <2%, 16 studies reported rates of 2-5% and two studies (Uganda and Zambia) reported 6% or more. Rates varied within the same study at different time points postpartum and amongst studies from the same country. Overall, reported MTCT rates appear to be close to WHO targets. However, diverse study designs, selection bias, extensive loss to follow-up and undocumented adherence rates to Option B+ protocols may significantly underestimate MTCT rates of HIV in Africa.
conclusionsStandardised protocols for impact evaluation must be established to provide evidenced-based data on the efficacy of Option B+ in Africa.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.