SINGAPORE: Singapore Hospitals Begin HIV Testing on Pregnant Mothers

Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2004. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

SINGAPORE: Singapore Hospitals Begin HIV Testing on Pregnant Mothers

Agence France Presse (12.16.04) - Thursday, December 16, 2004

Today, Singapore's Ministry of Health announced it has sent out a directive to both public and private practitioners to start routine HIV testing of pregnant women. Testing is not compulsory but will be included as part of routine prenatal care unless the women opt out. The directive is part of Singapore's efforts to halt a rise in new HIV/AIDS infections, which hit a record high of 257 cases reported in the first 10 months of this year. Most of the new infections involved heterosexual men who contracted HIV through casual sex or sex with prostitutes. Senior Minister of State for Health Balaji Sadasivan announced the plan to begin routine testing on the estimated 40,000 pregnant women in the city-state last month. Balaji said 12 babies were born with HIV over the past 10 years in Singapore. "No baby should be born with HIV when it can be prevented," said Balaji.
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