HIV testing in pregnancy: are we testing enough?

The crucial first step in the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV is awareness of pregnant women of their HIV status. The aim of this study was to define the percentage of patients who received HIV tests between 2001 and 2007 in a German city hospital.

In this retrospective cohort analysis at a University hospital in a German urban area, 12,873 deliveries were retrospectively analysed to determine whether an HIV test had been performed during prenatal counselling.

The number of HIV tests performed increased significantly between 2001 and 2007 from 59.6 to 76.7%. On average, 69.9% of the analysed deliveries were tested for HIV.

Although awareness of the importance of HIV screening in newborns has increased in recent years, the numbers are still unsatisfactory. Therefore, further education is necessary to prevent HIV infection in early pregnancy and avoid HIV mother-to-child transmission.