For a few years now, there has been a debate between the societies of Obstetrics and those of Disease Prevention, about the need for routine tests of early detection of HIV during pregnancy. It is shown that the sooner this infection is detected, the treatment is much more effective, and also if it can be detected during the first months of pregnancy, the risks of spreading it to the baby are minimized.
Until now, among all the follow-up tests of a pregnant woman (ultrasound, blood and urine tests ...), there was no test to determine HIV infection, it is only considered one optional test by the woman, and that also requires informed consentThat is, the doctor has to notify the mother that this test is going to be done, and she has to give her permission.
More than a year ago, the worldwide organization "Center for Disease Prevention and Control (CDC)" recommended including a diagnostic test for HIV infection in the first trimester of pregnancy to all pregnant women without exception, and repeat this test to pregnant women with risk factors during the third trimester of pregnancy. In addition, the novelty was that in order to do these tests it would not be necessary to ask the mother for permission, that is, it would not require informed consent. This logically reopened the ethical debate.
Now, in the US these recommendations have begun to be carried out. In several states, the AIDS test for pregnant women is already included. In the state of New Jersey these tests will be done routinely, according to a law that has just been passed. It will enter into force within six months, and forces all pregnant women to take the test in the first and third trimesters of pregnancy. This is intended to drastically reduce the number of infections of newborns by mother's transmission.
At the moment in Spain, this is not the case. The General Health Law requires that these tests always be requested by asking the patient for permission and notifying them, and for the moment they are not included in the control of the pregnant woman, it is only optional.
Via | The World In Babies and more | 1800 children infected daily with hiv
