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The following information on HIV in infants and children is from the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
Overview The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) has a lead role in research devoted to children infected with HIV (human immunodeficiency virus), the virus that causes AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome). NIAID-supported researchers are developing and refining treatments to prolong the survival and improve the quality of life of HIV-infected infants and children through the Pediatric AIDS Clinical Trials Group (PACTG). The PACTG is a nationwide clinical trials network jointly sponsored by NIAID and the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD). NIAID also supports research on ways to prevent mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of HIV through the PACTG and its HIV Prevention Trials Network (HPTN), a global clinical trials network designed to test promising nonvaccine strategies to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS. In this era of antiretroviral therapy, epidemiologic studies such as NIAID's Women and Infant's Transmission Study (WITS) are examining risk factors for transmission as well as the course of HIV disease in pregnant women and their babies. Researchers have helped illuminate the mechanisms of HIV transmission, the distinct features of pediatric HIV infection, and how the course of disease and the usefulness of therapies can differ in children and adults.
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