HIV Among Pregnant Women, Infants, and Children

The CDC recommends that all women who are pregnant, or planning to get pregnant, get tested for HIV as soon as possible. The earlier HIV is diagnosed and treated, the more effective HIV medicine will be at preventing transmission and improving health outcomes of both mother and child.

This site offers a fact sheet and information on mother-to-child HIV transmission, statistics, prevention challenges, what CDC is doing in regard to prevention, as well as a number of other resources including an HIV testing locator.

The CDC also provides HIV information in Spanish. 

While WIC’s role in preventing HIV transmission is limited, staff can play a valuable part in the process by referring participants for early and late gestation testing and advising mothers with HIV/AIDS to avoid breastfeeding. WIC can also impact the health and birth outcomes of participants with HIV/AIDS, addressing the dietary needs of an HIV-positive individual, including food safety.

Additional Resources

• HIV.gov - information about HIV
• HIV and AIDS - information on human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)
• AIDS Info – HIV & Pregnancy - information on preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV