6 HIV and pregnancy

6.13 When baby is born

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The baby's diagnosis

Babies born to HIV-positive mothers will always test HIV-positive at first. This is because they have their mother's immune system and share her antibodies. If a baby is not infected with HIV these will gradually disappear. This can sometimes take as long as 18 months.

The best test for HIV in babies is very similar to a viral load test. This is an HIV PCR DNA test. It looks for HIV virus in the baby's blood.

• HIV PCR DNA is a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test – a highly sensitive test that detects tiny amounts of HIV DNA in blood plasma.
• The test will 'amplify' or multiply the DNA so that HIV can be more easily detected.

It is good practice to test babies the day they are born, and when they are 1 month and 3 months old.

If tests show the baby no longer has the mother's antibodies to HIV when he or she is 18 months old, this is called seroreversion.

If all these tests are negative, and the mother is not breast-feeding the baby, then the baby is not HIV-positive.

The baby's treatment

A baby will need to take HIV drugs for probably four to six weeks following his or her birth.

This is most likely to be AZT, which must be taken either two or four times a day.

In a few cases a baby may be given another drug or combination therapy.