All pregnant women advised to get HIV test, consider AZT therapy. Clearinghouse, P.O. Box 6003, Rockville, MD 20849-6003. 800-458-5231 ext. 5023.

Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1995. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

All pregnant women advised to get HIV test, consider AZT therapy. Clearinghouse, P.O. Box 6003, Rockville, MD 20849-6003. 800-458-5231 ext. 5023.

AIDS Policy Law. 1995 Mar 10;10(4):6-7. Unique Identifier : AIDSLINE AIDS/95700217

Abstract: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advises that all physicians counsel pregnant women to get HIV tested to reduce the risk of HIV transmission to the child. The recommendation was prompted by a report that early use of the antiviral drug zidovudine (AZT) (administered during pregnancy, labor, and childbirth) in HIV-postive pregnant women reduced the risk of HIV infection to the newborn by two-thirds. While studies are showing the value of using AZT, government officials reject mandatory testing for fear that it will force pregnant women away from prenatal care. Because the long-term effects of AZT are unknown, it is also felt that doctors should not coerce infected women into taking AZT, rather they should explain the possible benefits of the therapy as well as the unknown risk of potential side effects to her and her child. The costs of AZT are high. Some private prescription-drug insurers, however, are now covering the costs since the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has relabeled the drug to include use in pregnancy and childbirth. The Pediatric AIDS Foundation states that an HIV test costs $25 to $30 for each of the 4 million pregnant women in the U.S., and that AZT therapy costs $1,000 for each infected woman.

Keywords: Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome/DIAGNOSIS/*DRUG THERAPY/ EPIDEMIOLOGY Adolescence Adult *AIDS Serodiagnosis/ECONOMICS Clinical Trials Disease Transmission, Vertical Drug Therapy/ECONOMICS Female Human Placebos Pregnancy Pregnancy Complications, Infectious/*DIAGNOSIS *Women's Health Zidovudine/*THERAPEUTIC USE NEWSLETTER ARTICLE
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