Treating HIV+ infants early may substantially improve health: Report

A small study of African infants infected with HIV found that treating them with powerful drugs within the first hours and days of birth helped preserve their immune systems, improving their chances of better long-term health, US researchers said.

HIV infections in newborns pose a huge health burden in developing countries. One study estimated that 300 to 500 infants are infected every day in sub-Saharan Africa.

“Without treatment, 50 per cent of HIV-infected children progress to death within two years,” study co-author Roger Shapiro of the Harvard T H  Chan School of Public Health said in a telephone briefing with reporters.

The study,