Without medical intervention, an HIV-positive woman has about a one-in-four chance of giving birth to an HIV-positive baby. Due to HIV testing and preventative drug therapies, mother-to-child transmission of HIV in the United States has been dramatically reduced to less than two percent – but between 100 and 200 HIV-positive babies are still born in the U.S. each day.

HIV testing is a key element to ensuring that babies are born free of HIV. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) currently recommends universal, routine, opt-out testing of pregnant women; however, these guidelines are not always implemented.

The Foundation supports more robust implementation of CDC guidelines as the most effective way of increasing HIV testing rates for pregnant women and preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV. Testing is the first step to providing mothers with the medical care and treatment they need to protect their own health and the health of their babies.


Additional information
CDC “One Test, Two Lives” Web site

2006 CDC HIV Testing Guidelines

Foundation statement: July 25, 2006 — Statement of the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation on HIV Testing of Pregnant Women and Infants

Press release: September 28, 2005 — Testing and treatment are keys to battling HIV/AIDS in children