FREE ESSAY ON PREVENTING HIV TRANSMISSION

PREVENTING HIV TRANSMISSION

Preventing HIV Transmission from Mother to Child
Thesis Statement: The percentage of HIV transmission from mother to child can be
prevented in a number of ways.
I. The AZT treatment is one way to prevent HIV.
A. AZT is a drug that decreases mother to child transmission of HIV.
B. AZT is given to the HIV positive mother throughout her pregnancy.
II. HIV can be contracted through breast-feeding.
A. There is a 14% chance of transmission of HIV from mother to child through
breast-feeding.
B. There are alternatives to breast-feeding, such as formula and a milk bank.
1. Alternatives to breast-feeding have their bad sides.
2. Breast-feeding can be made safer.
III. HIV testing in pregnant women can lower HIV transmission from mother to child.
A. HIV testing in pregnant women is a good idea.
1. Mother who knows their HIV status can make informed choices about their pregnancy.
2. Voluntary HIV testing in pregnant women has a very low success rate.
3. Women are scared of the test results.
4. Prenatal HIV testing is less costly than treating the mother and the child for HIV.
B. Mandatory testing for HIV in pregnant women also has it's down sides.
1. Women could be scared away from the health care system.
2. Tests may not be confidential.
Preventing HIV Transmission from Mother to Child
"In 1993, approximately 7,000 HIV-infected women gave birth in the United States. Of
those newborns, 1,000 to 2,000 are infected with HIV-now the seventh leading cause of
death in children aged 1 to 4" (Gordon and Hooker). HIV in children is becoming more and
more widespread and there is still no cure for it. The most common way children contract
HIV is through their mother. The percentage of HIV transmission from mother to child can
be prevented in a number of ways.
One of the ways HIV transmission from mother to child can be prevented is through AZT
treatment. AZT is a drug that is given to HIV positive mothers, which can decrease mother
to child transmission by 67.5 percent (Gordon and Hooker). The mother is given five doses
of AZT a day for the last six months of her pregnancy and then four doses during labor
and an AZT syrup is given to the newborn for six weeks after birth (Gordon and Hooker).
AZT is the only drug approved for preventing HIV transmission from mother to child
("Women and HIV" 10).
Mothers choosing to not breast-feed their children can also prevent HIV transmission. The
chance that a newborn can contract HIV from their mother's breast milk is up to 14
percent (Kent). "In October 1995 the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's FDA consumer
magazine said " Women who are HIV positive should not breast-feed"' (Kent). Even though
the percentage of mother to child transmission through breast milk is low, there is still
that small chance and any chance that a child could contract HIV is too much.
There are alternatives to breast-feeding such as formula or using breast milk from a milk
bank (Kent). Though these alternatives are better than taking the chance of transmitting
HIV to a child, they too have their bad sides. The use of formula, for example, poses a
risk of the newborn getting diarrhea and other life threatening diseases (Kent). Breast
milk can be heated to lessen the chances of the child contracting HIV, but there is still
that small yet deadly chance.
HIV testing in pregnant women could also help stop the transmission of HIV from mother to
child. With a mothers knowledge of HIV status she could be counseled appropriately so she
could choose whether of not to go on with the pregnancy, fully aware of the risks HIV
could pose on her child (Gostin 65). If a mother is unaware that she has HIV the baby is
denied the opportunity to get treatment. " It's killing kids who don't have to die"
(Gordon and Hooker). At this time HIV testing in pregnant women is voluntary and has a
very low success rate. Women won't take the HIV test because they refuse to believe that
they are at risk and they are scared of the results (Gordon and Hooker). Making HIV
testing mandatory in pregnant women could save a lot of children's lives. Most HIV
infected children don't make it to the age of 4 and the rest will f\die before their
teens (Gordon and Hooker). Mandatory HIV testing and AZT treatment is also less costly
for the Health Care System then treating a mother and her child for HIV for the rest of
their lives (Gordon and Hooker). Mother to child transmission of HIV would be greatly
reduced by HIV testing in pregnant women.
Mandatory testing for HIV in pregnant women also has it's down sides. Testing the mother
would reveal her HIV status and women would get scared away from the health system and
even prenatal care. Civil rights issues also raise concerns. Women are scared that the
HIV test results would not be kept confidential and they would become the target of
prejudice social policy and practice (Gostin 63). Pregnant women are more likely to go to
a doctor and get prenatal care if they do not feel pressured into taking HIV tests.
In the future there will probably be a cure for HIV but until then we need to cut down
the spread of the disease starting with children. They should be given a chance to live a
fulfilling life and the only way that can happen is for their mother to give them the
chance. The percentage of HIV transmission from mother to child can be prevented in a
number of ways. The use of AZT, the testing for HIV in pregnant women, and HIV mothers
choosing not to breast-feed could all lower the rates of HIV transmission.
Bibliography
Works Cited
Gordon, Dianna and Hooker, Tracey. "Mothers and AIDS." State Legislatures. 
April, 1995. n. pag.
Gastin, Lawrence. AIDS and the Health Care System. Yale University Press. 
New Haven and London (1990). pp. 62-67
Kent, George. "HIV and Breast-feeding." Mothering No. 94: may/June (1999). n. pag.
"Women and HIV." Project Inform. January, 1998