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An End to Perinatal HIV: Success in the US Requires Ongoing and Innovative Efforts that Should Expand Globally

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Abstract

The dramatic reduction of perinatally transmitted HIV in the United States has been a striking success story in the HIV epidemic. Routine HIV screening during pregnancy followed by appropriate therapy has been extremely effective. This paper puts forth three strategies needed to maintain these gains and reach the goal of eliminating perinatal HIV: standardize medical interventions and policy changes that support perinatal HIV reduction; institute HIV screening in routine preconception care to identify HIV infection in women before pregnancy; and critically focus attention and resources on primary prevention of HIV infection in women. Healthcare providers should incorporate HIV prevention education and routine screening into women's primary health care. Public health leaders should support and fund prevention strategies directed at young women. Successful approaches that have nearly eliminated perinatal HIV transmission in the United States offer valuable lessons that should be applied to primary HIV prevention for women in the United States and globally.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. François-Xavier Bagnoud Center, University of Medicine & Dentistry of New Jersey, 30 Bergen St., ADMC #4, Newark, 07103, NJ, USA

    Carolyn K Burr

Authors
  1. Carolyn K Burr
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  2. Margaret A Lampe
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  3. Sharron Corle
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  4. Frances S Margolin
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  5. Chad Abresh
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  6. Jill Clark
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for the National Organizations' Collaborative to Eliminate Perinatal HIV in the US

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Correspondence to Carolyn K Burr.

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The dramatic reduction of perinatally transmitted HIV in the U.S. has been a striking success story in the HIV epidemic. The authors propose strategies to maintain these gains and reach the goal of eliminating perinatal HIV in the USA using routine HIV screening during pregnancy followed by appropriate therapy that has been extremely effective. They offer lessons for primary HIV prevention for women worldwide.

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Burr, C., Lampe, M., Corle, S. et al. An End to Perinatal HIV: Success in the US Requires Ongoing and Innovative Efforts that Should Expand Globally. J Public Health Pol 28, 249–260 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1057/palgrave.jphp.3200126

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