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Newborns uncovered to HIV throughout being pregnant or beginning ought to obtain preventive antiretroviral medicine instantly after supply to cut back the chance of transmission from mom to baby.
However a examine finds that greater than half of infants identified with HIV of their first 12 months of life had not obtained this important postnatal therapy—suggesting their moms’ infections might not have been detected throughout being pregnant.
The examine additionally highlights racial disparities in HIV publicity, an infection and therapy: Nearly all of infants who had not been handled for an HIV an infection after beginning have been Black, based on the findings in Pediatrics.
“Being born with HIV profoundly affects a child’s health and future, and we have effective tools to prevent it,” mentioned senior writer Kengo Inagaki, M.D., pediatric infectious illness specialist at College of Michigan Well being C.S. Mott Youngsters’s Hospital.
“When newborns aren’t getting preventive treatment, it suggests we may be missing HIV infections in pregnant women and missing critical opportunities to intervene.”
Missed prevention in high-risk infants
Researchers analyzed Medicaid knowledge for greater than three million infants born between 2009 and 2021.
Amongst 52 infants identified with HIV by age one, greater than half had not obtained the really useful postnatal antiretroviral prophylaxis.
“Our findings point to potential gaps in prenatal HIV detection,” mentioned Inagaki, who can also be a researcher on the U-M Medical College and with the Institute for Healthcare Coverage and Innovation. “Universal HIV screening is recommended in the first trimester, but it’s not consistently repeated later in pregnancy, when new infections can occur.”
Retesting throughout the third trimester, he provides, might assist establish moms who purchase HIV later in being pregnant—and forestall mother-to-child transmission by means of well timed therapy.
Racial disparities per nationwide knowledge
The examine additionally displays broader nationwide developments in racial disparities associated to HIV. Practically 74% of infants who have been identified with HIV however didn’t obtain preventive medicine have been Black. This displays long-standing disparities in well being care entry, together with HIV screening and maternal care, Inagaki says.
Nationwide surveillance knowledge present that whereas ladies account for about 18% of recent HIV infections in america, greater than 60% of those are amongst ladies of childbearing age and over half of these are Black ladies.
Strengthening prevention for at-risk newborns
U.S. pointers for stopping perinatal HIV transmission have advanced during the last three a long time. In the present day, almost all infants born to moms with identified HIV infections obtain postnatal antiretroviral prophylaxis, considerably decreasing their threat of an infection.
“Virtually all perinatal HIV infections in the U.S. are preventable,” Inagaki mentioned.
“But that prevention starts with diagnosing maternal HIV early. If we miss the infection in the mother, we miss the chance to protect the baby. HIV is a lifelong condition requiring lifelong care. That’s why timely detection and treatment in both mothers and infants must remain a public health priority.”
Extra data:
Mingyue Lu et al, Postnatal Antiretroviral Prophylaxis and Perinatal HIV An infection in Medicaid-Enrolled Infants, Pediatrics (2025). DOI: 10.1542/peds.2025-070746
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College of Michigan
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Examine suggests some maternal HIV infections could also be missed throughout being pregnant (2025, July 16)
retrieved 16 July 2025
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