In most European countries and in the USA, the risk of a child becoming infected with HIV if the mother is infected is currently around 1%. Meanwhile, in Poland it is at the level of approx. 20 percent. The gulf separating our country from these countries is the more difficult to explain, the more we realize that the detection of HIV threat at the right moment can almost completely protect the child from infection from the mother. The first step is to do a test. A test that is free.
We want the best for our children, so it is surprising that many pregnant women, despite regular checkups carried out in the nine months before birth, forget about one, no less important – HIV test. Only a quarter of pregnant women perform it. And each should.
According to the recommendations of the Expert Team of the Polish Gynecological Society and the regulation of the Minister of Health on the organizational standard of perinatal care, HIV testing should be performed by all pregnant women twice. The first of them – during the first visit (up to the 10th week of pregnancy), and the second – during the third trimester of pregnancy (ie between the 33rd and 37th week). The performance of these two tests and the implementation of appropriate treatment in the event of a positive result are necessary for the birth of a healthy child.
See also: For two years I have known that I am infected with HIV and I cannot accept it …
How important it is to perform these two simple and – let’s emphasize it again – free tests – is shown by the statistics. Because in over 90 percent. cases of HIV infection in children occur precisely during pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding. If the mother is unaware that she is carrying the virus, the risk of HIV transmission to the baby during pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding can be as high as 50%. Current medical knowledge makes it possible to reduce this risk to the absolute minimum.
See also: Where did HIV come from?
The pregnancy doctor should refer the mother-to-be to the HIV test. Unfortunately, according to specialists from the National AIDS Center, only every third woman gets a test order from a specialist. But even without a referral, you can perform the test for free – it is enough to go to one of the Consultation and Diagnostic Centers throughout Poland. They can be tested for HIV free of charge, anonymously and without a referral (addresses and opening hours of the PKD can be checked at aids.gov.pl/pkd).
In the XNUMXst century, HIV is often forgotten. However, it is still a real threat, as exemplified by Poland, where the number of infected people is growing every year. Let us not allow living with HIV to become a reality for our children. Just take the test. A test that is free.
The material was created as part of the nationwide educational campaign «Your Family. Health and Lifestyle », which was launched in the press on September 13, as a special thematic supplement in Gazeta Wyborcza, in the online version at wpunktozdrowiu.pl and on many websites dealing with family and health issues. You can read all the texts here.