…the fact that they will have to face how their own behaviors led to their child’s status.
HIV, or Human Immunodeficiency Virus, is a virus which can cause AIDS once it becomes more advanced. A person may be diagnosed with HIV, but not yet have AIDS. AIDS, or Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, is a set of symptoms that develop after HIV has destroyed the immune system. Some individuals do not develop AIDS for years.
Individuals who have HIV can pass it to others through blood, seminal or vaginal fluid, especially when those fluids come into contact with broken skin. For a pregnant woman, certain factors can increase the likelihood of her child contracting HIV/AIDS from the mom. This includes smoking, malnutrition, breastfeeding and other sexually-transmitted infections.
It is recommended that all women who are pregnant or have intentions of becoming pregnant be tested for HIV. Women who have not been tested during pregnancy can be screened during labor and delivery. In most instances, HIV will not cross the placental barrier. If the mother has not received treatment, close to 25 percent of children will be infected by the virus. With treatment, the percentage is decreased to less than 2 percent.
Of the 1,955 children in the United States living with HIV transmitted from their mother, more than half are African-American.
“We need to continue to educate communities and youth,” says Virgil. “Not just about HIV and transmission, but the importance of continually seeking healthcare.”
“I had an HIV-positive mother ask me if she could breastfeed her baby,” Virgil continues. “I was shocked to hear that question since the data on the high risk of HIV transmission through breast milk to the baby is clear and quite old.”
Steps are, however, being taken to change the narrative. The CDC has partnered with the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists to create a model to help local health systems figure out missed prevention and treatment opportunities for pregnant woman living with HIV. The CDC has also funded HIV prevention programs for many health departments to assist with promotion of HIV testing.
Aldwin Soumare is a second-year medical student at the Georgia Campus of the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine.