Reducing the odds

About this book

In response to a congressional request, this report evaluates state efforts to reduce perinatal transmission of HIV. The committee recommends that HIV testing be a routine part of prenatal care, and that health care providers notify women that HIV testing is part of the usual array of prenatal tests and that they can refuse the HIV test. This approach could help both reduce the number of pediatric AIDS cases and improve treatment for mother with AIDS. Reducing the Odds will be of special interest to federal, state, and local health policymakers, prenatal care providers, maternal and child health specialists, public health practitioners, and advocates for HIV/AIDS patients.