Since the first pediatric case of HIV infection was documented
in 1984, tremendous medical and public health achievements have
been made in preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV. A
key step toward ensuring that the perinatal HIV interventions
offered are effective is to make sure that care providers know
the HIV status of the pregnant women in their care. When a woman
is identified as HIV infected during pregnancy, antiretroviral
and obstetrical interventions can reduce the risk of having an
infected baby to <2%. When preventive anti-retroviral treatment
is not initiated until labor or birth of the newborn, the risk
of for transmission is 9% to 13%.1-3 Without intervention, the
risk for transmission is approximately 25% in the United
States.4 Maximal reduction of perinatal HIV transmission in the
United States depends on ensuring - Pregnant women receive
prenatal care - Routine HIV screening of all pregnant women -
Recommended antiretroviral regimens are used during the
prenatal, intrapartum and post