A call for all babies to have HIV tests

By Anya van Wyk
11 September 2006

At the All 4 children congress, held at Sun City, an appeal was made to institute compulsory Aids tests for six-week-old babies.

Professor Nigel Rollins, an Aids expert told the Cape Times that this initiative will help the government to assess if Nevirapine, a drug offered to HIV positive pregnant mothers, is effective in stopping children from contracting HIV. The tests will only be useful if babies are tested after delivery.

Most women have the initial mother-to-child transmission test before the birth but do not return after the birth to make sure that the drug was effective.

As it stands the transmission rate from mother to child is 20.8%.