Question:medium
All of the following interventions are recommended to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV, except:
All of the following interventions are recommended to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV, except:
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Three options lower viral load or birth-canal exposure; one is just a uterotonic choice.
Updated On: Jun 24, 2026
- Avoid ergometrine in the third stage of labour
- Highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART)
- Elective Caesarean section
- Intrapartum Zidovudine
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The Correct Option is A
Solution and Explanation
A baby can catch HIV from its mother during pregnancy, at delivery, or through breastfeeding, and the prevention strategy targets each of those windows. The cornerstone is treating the mother with combination antiretroviral drugs (HAART) so her blood carries as little virus as possible; a suppressed viral load is what protects the child most. When the mother's virus level stays high or is not known near term, a planned Caesarean before labour starts keeps the infant from travelling through the birth canal and limits its contact with maternal blood, which lowers the chance of transmission. Around the time of birth, giving the mother Zidovudine through a vein, plus dosing the newborn afterward, adds another layer of protection during the most risky hours. All three of these are genuine PMTCT steps. The choice that does not fit is "avoid ergometrine in the third stage of labour." Ergometrine is simply a drug to tighten the womb and stop bleeding after delivery; skipping it does nothing to stop the virus from reaching the baby. Any caution around ergometrine in HIV care is about a drug interaction with protease inhibitors, not about transmission. So the intervention that is NOT part of preventing mother-to-child HIV spread is avoiding ergometrine. \[\boxed{\text{Avoid ergometrine in the third stage of labour}}\]
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