When pregnant women are not screened for HIV

QUESTION One of my patients gave birth to a baby later diagnosed with HIV infection. I did not offer this patient HIV screening, as I thought she was at low risk. What are the recommendations for HIV testing and what might be the implications of not screening for HIV? ANSWER Although screening is currently recommended by all relevant authorities in Canada, more than 10% of women are not screened antenatally, increasing their babies’ risk for infection. This rate represents a failure that is probably a combination of omission at times by clinicians, embarrassment about discussing the issue on the part of either the physician or the patient, and poor counseling. All Canadian women should receive appropriate antenatal counseling for HIV screening.