Perinatal HIV Transmission Persists in the U.S.

A substantial number of HIV-infected infants are born each year to mothers with predictable risk profiles that include late diagnosis, lack of prenatal care, and no exposure to antiretrovirals.

Although curtailing perinatal HIV transmission has been one of the great success stories of the epidemic in the developed world, instances of such transmission continue to occur. CDC researchers tallied the clinical correlates of some of these recent cases in the U.S.

Among 8054 live births to HIV-infected women from 2005 through 2008 in 13 states and Puerto Rico, 179 infants were diagnosed with HIV infection (2.2%). Transmission correlated with maternal age <20, history of maternal injection-drug use, substance use during pregnancy, low maternal CD4-cell count, lack of prenatal care, lack of antiretroviral therapy (ART) during pregnancy, failure to diagnose HIV infection before onset of labor, breast-feeding, and failure to administer ART t…

Reviewing Author

Abigail Zuger, MD

Disclosures

Nothing to disclose

Abigail Zuger, MD

Disclosures

Nothing to disclose

Perinatal HIV Transmission Persists in the U.S.

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Reviewing Author