How is it that a couple can have HIV negative children despite one or both of them being HIV positive?

Question

How is it that a couple can have HIV negative children despite one or both of them being HIV positive?

In: Biology

Answer 1

HIV can generally only be passed to the baby from the mother, not the father. Mothers with HIV can pass the virus to the baby during pregnancy, but if they are on HIV medication it’s unlikely because it can lower the viral load in the bloodstream to near-undetectable levels. There’s a risk of passing it during childbirth or breastfeeding, so women with HIV shouldn’t breastfeed and can give birth via C-section to prevent transmission.