HIV and women in Thailand: severity and services

Thailand has extensive data on the emergence of HIV and aggressive prevention programs to prevent the spread of the disease. The increasing HIV infection among women who desire pregnancy increases the number of HIV-infected infants. Standard guidelines for HIV testing include that the test should be voluntary, counseling should be given before and after testing, the test results should be kept strictly confidential, AIDS education should be provided for all hospital personnel, and an appropriate hospital policy on AIDS is in place. In HIV positive women decisions about pregnancy termination or continuation is usually made by both husband and wife after counseling about the possibility of perinatal transmission. The current practices in Thailand of patient care, antenatal care, management of labor, breast feeding and contraceptive practice are reviewed.