Scharf E; International Conference on AIDS.
Int Conf AIDS. 1993 Jun 6-11; 9: 752 (abstract no. PO-C25-3210).
Emily Scharf Associates, HIV Training and Consultancy, London, England.
OBJECTIVES: 1) To identify the elements of public testing rationales concerning antenatal testing and prevention of HIV transmission; 2) to analyse the research and public discussion relevant to the above, and 3) to determine which rationale are justified, both ethically and based on research findings. METHOD: An analysis was done of current research on 1) rates of transmission to the pregnant woman, to the partner, and to the child, 2) rates of terminations by newly diagnosed pregnant women, and 3) learning curves for health education information offered to women during pregnancy. The ethical, legal, social, psychological, and economic issues were also examined. RESULTS: At present, research has not substantiated the premise that testing for HIV leads to HIV prevention. There are also significant ethical and other concerns about an antenatal testing rationale of preventing horizontal transmission, and more so, about the rationale of preventing vertical transmission. CONCLUSIONS: Therefore, a public health rationale of HIV prevention, either vertical or horizontal, should not be used to justify HIV antenatal testing programmes.
Publication Types:
Keywords:
- Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome
- Child
- Disease Transmission, Vertical
- Female
- HIV Infections
- HIV Seropositivity
- Humans
- Mass Screening
- Pregnancy
- Research
- prevention & control
- transmission
Other ID:
UI: 102206508
From Meeting Abstracts