HIV: The Biggest Threat to Pregnant Women

HIV is the leading cause of maternal mortality in South Africa, according to a five year study of maternal mortality at one of the country’s largest hospitals. Published in the August 2009 issue of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, the study found that the maternal mortality ratio was more than six times higher in HIV-positive women than in HIV-negative women, and nearly half of the overall deaths were from HIV related causes, such as tuberculosis and pneumonia. Women Deliver