Important note: Information in this article was accurate in February 1999. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.AIDSWEEKLY Plus; Monday, February 8, 1999
Daniel J. DeNoon, Senior Editor
A CDC analysis of U.S. HIV/AIDS trends, based on surveillance data collected by June 1998, show dramatic reductions in perinatal AIDS transmission. According to CDC researcher M.L. Lindegren, these reductions are principally due to increased maternal use of zidovudine (AZT) during pregnancy.
"The elimination of perinatal HIV transmission may be possible," Lindegren suggested in a presentation to the 6th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections, held January 31-February 4, 1999, in Chicago, Illinois.
Analysis by year of diagnosis showed that perinatally acquired AIDS declined 66 percent from 907 in 1993 to 298 in 1997. Lindegren and colleagues found that the greatest declines were seen in the Northeast (76 percent) and in the South (60 percent).
HIV testing of HIV infected mothers increased to near-universal levels, from 81 percent in 1994 to 94 percent in 1997. But AZT coverage remained spotty: while the proportion of women who received AZT in 1997 was 87 percent, the proportion who received all three recommended doses was only 55 percent.
"Some populations of mothers and infants did not receive timely HIV testing or AZT," Lindegren noted.
The CDC researcher suggested that intensification of outreach efforts is needed if U.S. elimination of mother-to-child HIV transmission is to be achieved.
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