Article Abstract:
Private physicians need to implement new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines regarding the care of pregnant women and the testing and treatment for HIV infection, since a National Institutes of Health study showed AZT affective in reducing perinatal HIV transmission. Guideline implementation includes making testing routine, counseling before and after testing, obtaining drug and sexual history, explaining about HIV and testing pros and cons, obtaining consent, working with cultural differences, focusing on choice, and evaluating effectiveness.
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Article Abstract:
The American Medical Association's House of Delegates voted by a narrow 185-181 margin at its 1996 annual meeting to change its previous policy by endorsing mandatory HIV testing for all newborns and pregnant women. The approval came because of recent advances in HIV treatment, including a clinical trial that reported a 75% reduction in cases of perinatal HIV transmission with the use of AZT during pregnancy. Opposition to the proposal came from those who felt that mandatory treatment would cause some women to avoid prenatal care.
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Article Abstract:
The development of improved treatment for AIDS and related diseases makes it very important to identify the HIV-infected population, particularly among pregnant women. The prenatal use of zidovudine (AZT) reduces by about 67% the transmission of the virus to babies of infected mothers. Although political and ethical considerations have inhibited mandatory testing, the Ryan White CARE Act, passed by Congress in 1996, will withhold funds from states that do not institute testing programs by March 2000.
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