to symptoms is about 10 years, during which time
the person may not know he or she has HIV and
can spread the infection to others.
In 1994 HIV/AIDS experts issued a recommen-
dation to test high-risk pregnant women for HIV
and to offer those with positive tests treatment
with zidovudine (AZT), which slows the rate at
which the virus replicates. This allows the infant’s
IMMUNE SYSTEMto develop sufficiently to produce
resistance against HIV and stave off infection. The
result was a two thirds reduction in the number of
infants born with HIV between 1994 and 1997.
Since then, HIV/AIDS programs have made a con-
certed effort to extend HIV testing and AZT treat-
ment to all pregnant women with the hope that
congenital HIV infections will decline even fur-
ther. Many health-care providers believe HIV test-
ing should be among the routine screenings
pregnant women undergo.
Early Diagnosis and Prevention
Nearly a million Americans live with HIV/AIDS
yet about 250,000 of them—one in four—do not
know they do. The virus can exist in the body for
decades without progressing to the disease condi-
tion of AIDS. During this time, however, the virus
remains active and can spread to other people. By
the time symptoms begin to manifest, an impor-
tant window of therapeutic opportunity has
closed. Treatment can still contain the progression
of disease for years, but symptoms progress and
will increasingly diminish QUALITY OF LIFE.
In 2004 the US Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) approved the first rapid test to detect HIV-1
antibodies in a fingerstick blood sample. HIV-1 is
the form of the virus that causes nearly all AIDS
infections in the United States. More extensive and
precise blood tests then confirm positive results.
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC) and other health organizations recommend
HIV testing become part of the ROUTINE MEDICAL
EXAMINATIONto facilitate early diagnosis.KEY MEASURES FOR PREVENTING HIV/AIDS- sexual abstinence
- when sexually active, latex condom use during every act of
sexual intercourse unless in a longstanding monogamous
relationship in which both partners have tested negative for
HIV - avoiding injectable drugs
- regular testing for all people who are sexually active
- frequent testing for people who engage in high-risk sexual
behaviors (multiple sex partners, unprotected sex) or who
use injectable drugs - early intervention and monitoring for people who are HIV-
positive, to start treatment at the most opportune times and
to encourage preventive behaviors
See also OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY; SEXU-
ALLY TRANSMITTED DISEASES(STDS).HIV/AIDS prevention 33