PERINATAL HIV TRANSMISSION PREVENTION PROGRAM

Perinatal Program | Training | Rapid HIV Testing | Patient Information | Forms and Guidelines | Referral Resources

PATIENT INFORMATION

HUMAN IMMUNODEFICIENCY VIRUS (HIV) is the virus that causes AIDS. There is no cure for AIDS and it is a serious health threat to all people. Clinics and doctors that provide prenatal care to women are required to test every woman for HIV and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Finding out your HIV status is the first step toward protecting your baby. This is also true for STDs like chlamydia, gonorrhea, hepatitis B and syphilis. If a woman does not want to be tested, she must tell her doctor and sign a form saying she is refusing the test. Florida DOH, Bureau of HIV/AIDS perinatal HIV website click here. Pregnant women can pass HIV and STDs on to their babies during pregnancy, through labor and delivery, and by breastfeeding. Women who are HIV positive should never breastfeed. SOME GOOD NEWS: If a woman is infected with HIV, it is important to know that there are medicines that can protect the baby from getting the virus. If a woman closely follows her doctor’s orders, she will have a baby free from HIV 98% of the time.

Mothers Infected with HIV and STDs
Can Spread the Infection to their Babies

• A test will show if a mother is infected with HIV.
• With treatment, HIV-infected mothers rarely pass the infection on to their babies.
• Young women are the fastest-growing group of people with HIV/AIDS.
• As many as one in every 200 pregnant women is infected with HIV.
• Chlamydia, gonorrhea, hepatitis B, and syphilis can also affect a baby’s health and life.
  

Get Tested Today! By Florida law, health care providers must conduct voluntary HIV and STD testing for all pregnant women at their initial prenatal care visit and again at 28-32 weeks. Make sure you are tested for HIV and STDs.

---

How HIV is Spread
HIV can be spread through contact with the body fluids of an infected person.

• By having sex. Using a condom can reduce the risks of getting HIV.
• By sharing any kind of needles.
• From a mother to her baby during pregnancy, labor, and delivery. Treatment can prevent this.
• By breastfeeding. Women with HIV infection should not breastfeed their baby.

---

Protect Your Baby
Make sure you are tested for HIV and STDs TODAY!
Ask your doctor about the Healthy Start program. Healthy Start can help you and your baby get the best possible care while you are pregnant and after!

---

Resources and Referrals

STD/HIV Hotlines

1 (800) FLA-AIDS (352-2437) - English
1 (800) 545-SIDA (545-7432) - Spanish
1 (800) AIDS-101 (243-7101) - Creole
1 (888) 503-7118 - TTY/TDD

Other Resources

The Family Health Line (Healthy Start) - 1 (800) 451-2229
WIC Program - 1 (800) 342-3556
Domestic Violence Hotline - 1 (800) 500-1119

Hilda Leon, B.S., R.N.C.
Perinatal HIV Transmission Project Coordinator
Phone: 813-974-3773
E-Mail: hleon@fmhi.usf.edu
Visit our web site at: www.usfcenter.org/perinatal

Copyright 2002 - 2008 - USF Center for HIV Education and Research