Background: Transmission of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) from HIV-positive mothers to their children (vertical transmission) is a global and serious health problem. Assessing research activity on mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of HIV helps identify the impact of preventive policies implemented to achieve international goals. The objective of the current study was to assess and analyze research trends and patterns of scientific literature on the MTCT of HIV. Methods: A bibliometric methodology was applied to literature retrieved from the Scopus database using a pre-validated search strategy. The study period was from 1980 to 2023. Descriptive bibliometric indicators and visualization maps were presented. Results: The search query found 4468 documents with an h -index of 133. Growth of publications based on geographic region showed that publications from the African region have surpassed those from the European Union but are yet to catch up with publications from the Americas. Multiple African countries were also in the top 10 active list of countries, including South Africa (14.8%), Kenya (5.5%), Uganda (4.7%), Nigeria (4%), and Malawi (3.7%). Antiretroviral therapy, newborn and child HIV transmission, and health services were the main research themes encountered. These covered zidovudine therapy, breastfeeding, psychology, and counseling. Zidovudine was also a focus of the top 10 cited documents. PLOS One (n = 216; 4.8%) was the most active journal, while the US CDC (n = 301; 6.7%) was the most active institution in this field. Conclusion: Ending the MTCT of HIV requires continuous research and collaboration with world regions with high HIV epidemics. High-burden countries, particularly in African and Southeast Asian regions, need to lead the research activity in this field. The recent decline in the number of people with HIV should not decrease research momentum in this field. Challenges remain in increasing HIV treatment coverage, preventing transmission during breastfeeding, and treating infected children.
Karasneh et al. (Fri,) studied this question.