Statewide Campaign Launched to Reduce Mother-to-baby HIV Transmission Rate

"One Test, Two Lives - Prevent HIV Indiana" campaign is designed for OBs, nurse-midwives and others to ensure all women are tested for HIV early in pregnancy

12/01/2009

INDIANAPOLIS – In the past 2 ½ years, missed opportunities have changed the lives of eight babies in the state of Indiana. Eight families received the news that their newborn tested positive for the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) - an increase of 400%.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), perinatal transmission accounts for 90 percent of all AIDS cases among children in the United States. With appropriate interventions including medications for the mother, choice of best delivery method and treatment of the infant after birth, transmission rates can be decreased to 1-2 percent. Without treatment, the transmission rate is 25 percent. Prevention of mother-to-baby transmission remains the most important weapon in the arsenal against pediatric HIV.

In response to the recent increase of HIV-infected babies in the state, a collaboration of agencies launched "One Test, Two Lives - Prevent HIV Indiana" - a statewide campaign designed to improve clinical practices to prevent mother-to-baby HIV transmission and ensure all women are tested for HIV early in their pregnancy. Campaign partners include Riley Hospital for Children's Ryan White Center for Pediatric Infectious Disease, Indiana State Department of Health, Indiana Perinatal Network, Midwest AIDS Training + Education Center, Health & Hospital Corporation of Marion County and the IU National Center of Excellence in Women's Health.

"One Test, Two Lives - Prevent HIV Indiana" will provide obstetricians, nurse-midwives and other providers quick and easy access to a variety of resources such as HIV screening tip sheets, gestational wheels, algorithms for rapid testing and flow sheets for routine testing. Additionally, materials will be provided to patients to encourage universal voluntary prenatal testing for HIV.

Recent CDC data suggests that 35-40 percent of mothers who give birth to HIV-infected infants were unaware of their infection prior to labor and delivery.

HIV is the virus that causes AIDS. According to the CDC, the virus can be passed from one person to another when infected blood, semen or vaginal secretions come in contact with an uninfected person's broken skin or mucous membranes. In addition, infected pregnant women can pass HIV to their baby during pregnancy or delivery, as well as through breastfeeding.

"It is imperative that we continue to change the tide and raise awareness to prevent mother-to-baby HIV transmission," said Elaine Cox, MD, infectious disease physician, Ryan White Center for Pediatric Infectious Disease, Riley Hospital for Children, and associate professor of clinical pediatrics, Indiana University School of Medicine. "Women who know they are HIV positive before becoming pregnant are better able to plan ahead, thereby offering doctors the ability to advise which interventions are best suited for their respective condition and situation."

Riley Hospital for Children is also carrying this important campaign and message across the globe to its staff at the newly constructed Riley Mother Baby Hospital on the Moi University campus in Eldorat, Kenya, Africa. UNAIDS, the Joint United National program on HIV/AIDs, provides the latest epidemiological trends for Sub-Saharan Africa:

Sub-Saharan Africa remains the region most heavily affected by HIV worldwide, accounting for over two-thirds (67%) of all people living with HIV and nearly three quarters (72%) of AIDS-related deaths in 2008.
An estimated 1.9 million people were newly infected with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa in 2008, bringing the total number of people living with HIV to 22.4 million.
Young women between the ages of 15 and 19 are particularly vulnerable to HIV. In Kenya, young women are three times more likely to become infected than their male counterparts.

"For the future and health of our children, it's imperative we improve HIV-related health outcomes in Indiana and across the world," concluded Dr. Cox.

Please visit www.1test2lives.in.gov for more information.

About Riley Hospital for Children As one of the nation's leading pediatric hospitals and Indiana's first and only comprehensive hospital dedicated exclusively to the care of children, Riley Hospital for Children, a part of Clarian Health, has provided compassionate care, support and comfort to children and their families for 85 years. Each year, Riley Hospital and Riley Hospital at Clarian North serve over 215,000 inpatients and outpatients from across Indiana, the nation and the world. Riley Hospital's partnership with Clarian Health, and its strong affiliation with the Indiana University School of Medicine, makes it the only comprehensive clinical resource for Indiana's children and the premiere source for health-related information for their parents. From simple care associated with the health and wellness of children and less complex specialty care to the most critically-ill and medically complex cases, Riley Hospital for Children is a national leader. Clarian Health operates the Methodist Hospital, Indiana University Hospital and Riley Hospital for Children campuses as a single hospital under Indiana law. Visit Riley Hospital for Children for more information.