How Many Infants Are Born to HIV-Infected Women in the U.S.?

Guidelines to prevent perinatal HIV transmission have been implemented successfully in the U.S., resulting in a dramatic decline in the estimated number of infants born with HIV infection (1650 in 1991 vs. 138 in 2004). However, transmission events still occur, and in many areas of the U.S., transmission rates exceed the achievable goal of <1%. According to CDC estimates, approximately 2.8% of infants born to HIV-positive mothers in 2005 were infected. In the present study, researchers estimated the number of infants who were born to HIV-infected women in the U.S. in 2006 and were thus at risk for perinatal acquisition of HIV.

Using a variety of statistical methods, the researchers estimated that 171,400 women of childbearing age were living…