Feature story

Less than 60% of pregnant women living with HIV in western and central Africa have access to services to stop vertical transmission of HIV

19 April 2021

There have been successes in the commitment to end vertical transmission of HIV (from mother to child). For example, in eastern and southern Africa, 95% of pregnant women living with HIV received antiretroviral therapy to prevent vertical transmission of HIV in 2019.

Such successes have not been universally seen, however. In western and central Africa, the picture is not so positive—coverage of services for the prevention of vertical transmission in the region is among the lowest in the world. In 2019, only 58% of pregnant women living with HIV in the region received antiretroviral therapy to prevent vertical transmission.