6/26/2009

On National HIV Testing Day, Foundation Encourages All Pregnant Women to Learn Their Status

Contact: Robert Yule
202-390-9540
ryule@pedaids.org

Washington, D.C.—For National HIV Testing Day on June 27, the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation is urging all pregnant women to seek HIV testing and learn their status.

“We have the medical tools to prevent almost all children from being born with HIV. By getting tested early, mothers will have the knowledge to protect their own health and that of their babies,” said Foundation President and CEO Pamela W. Barnes. “With early intervention, an HIV-positive mother can keep her infant free of the virus.”

By starting a regimen of medications early in pregnancy, women can reduce the risk of transmitting HIV to their babies to less than two percent. But to accomplish this, women must first know their own status.

The most recent CDC data shows that of the more than 56,000 Americans diagnosed with HIV/AIDS in 2006, more than 25 percent of new cases are in women. Eighty percent of those women contracted HIV/AIDS through heterosexual contact, often because they were unaware of their male partners’ potential high-risk factors. African-American women are at particularly high risk of infection, with African Americans representing 46 percent of those living with HIV/AIDS in the United States.

“We know how to achieve the best results in preventing transmission of HIV from mother to child,” added Barnes. “Getting tested is the first and most important step in the effort to create a generation free of HIV.”

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About the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation
The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation is a worldwide leader in the fight against pediatric AIDS. Its innovative research programs, collaborative training initiatives, advocacy efforts, and rapidly expanding international prevention and treatment programs are bringing dramatic changes to the lives of children worldwide.