Rapid HIV Antibody Testing During Labor and Delivery for Women of Unknown HIV Status: A Practical Guide and Model Protocol

摘要

Effective interventions are available to reduce the rate of perinatal HIV transmission when women are identified as HIV infected early in pregnancy. Pregnant women who are HIV infected but who do not receive prenatal care or do not receive an HIV test during prenatal care are not identified as HIV infected and therefore miss opportunities to reduce the risk of transmission to their infants and to receive life-saving treatments for themselves. With the implementation of screening programs using rapid HIV testing in labor and delivery settings, women with unknown HIV test results during prenatal care (results not documented in the prenatal medical record) can learn their HIV status quickly and receive short-course antiretroviral (ARV) prophylaxis to dramatically reduce the risk of transmitting HIV to their infants. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends routine rapid HIV testing using an opt-out approach for women in labor whose HIV status is unknown.