HIV Test Offer for All Pregnant Women

Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2002. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

HIV Test Offer for All Pregnant Women

Scotsman (Scotland) (12.18.02) - Wednesday, December 18, 2002
John Innes

Under a directive issued by the Scottish Executive, all expectant mothers are to be offered routine screening for HIV. The program is to be in operation by April. At present, only a few health boards offer the screening, which women have the option to refuse. "It used to be the case that we could do little for the baby if the mother was infected. But the whole point of the test is that now, if pregnant women are infected, we can reduce the risk for their baby by nearly 20-fold," said Dr. Syed Ahmed, AIDS coordinator for the Greater Glasgow National Health Service Board.
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