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The time to recommend antenatal HIV screening for all pregnant women has arrived

John B Ziegler and Nicholas Graves
Med J Aust 2004; 181 (3): . || doi: 10.5694/j.1326-5377.2004.tb06199.x
Published online: 2 August 2004

A small number of Australian babies continue to acquire HIV infection unnecessarily


  • 1 Sydney Children’s Hospital, Sydney, NSW.
  • 2 School of Public Health, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD.


Correspondence: 

  • 1. Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS). Global summary of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, December 2003. Available at: www.unaids.org/html/pub/Topics/Epidemiology/Slides02/Epicore2003_en_ppt.ppt (accessed Jun 2004).
  • 2. Fassin D, Schneider H. The politics of AIDS in South Africa: beyond the controversies. BMJ 2003; 326: 495-497.
  • 3. HIV-infected pregnant women and vertical transmission in Europe since 1986. European collaborative study. AIDS 2001; 15: 761-770.
  • 4. Dorenbaum A, Cunningham CK, Gelber RD, et al. Two-dose intrapartum/newborn nevirapine and standard antiretroviral therapy to reduce perinatal HIV transmission: a randomized trial. JAMA 2002; 288: 189-198.
  • 5. National Centre in HIV Epidemiology and Clinical Research. 1999 HIV/AIDS, hepatitis C, and sexually transmissible infections in Australia. Annual surveillance report. Sydney: NCHECR, 1999. Available at: www.med.unsw.edu.au/nchecr/Downloads/99ansurvrpt.pdf (accessed Jun 2004).
  • 6. McDonald AM, Li Y, Cruickshank MA, et al. Use of interventions for reducing mother-to-child transmission of HIV in Australia. Med J Aust 2001; 174: 449-452.
  • 7. Australian National Council on AIDS and Related Diseases, Intergovernmental Committee on AIDS and Related Diseases. HIV testing policy. Canberra: Commonwealth Department of Health and Aged Care, 1998.
  • 8. National Centre in HIV Epidemiology and Clinical Research. HIV/AIDS and related diseases in Australia. Annual surveillance report 1998. Sydney: NCHECR, 1998. Available at: www.med.unsw.edu.au/nchecr/Downloads/98ansurvrpt.pdf (accessed Jun 2004).
  • 9. Garland SM, Duke JE, Woodhouse DR. Antenatal screening for HIV in Australia: time to revise policies? [letter]. Med J Aust 2000; 172: 188-189.
  • 10. Elford J, MacDonald MA, Gabb RG, et al. Antenatal HIV antibody testing in Australia. Med J Aust 1995; 163: 183-185.
  • 11. Spencer JD, Tibbits D, Tippet C, et al. Review of antenatal testing policies and practice for HIV and hepatitis C infection. Aust N Z J Public Health 2003; 27: 614-619.
  • 12. Giles ML, Sasadeusz JJ, Garland SM, et al. An audit of obstetricians’ management of women potentially infected with blood-borne viruses. Med J Aust 2004; 180: 328-332. <MJA full text>
  • 13. Graves N, Walker DG, McDonald AM, et al. Would universal antenatal screening for HIV infection be cost-effective in a setting of very low prevalence? Modelling the data for Australia. J Infect Dis 2004; 190: 166-174.
  • 14. Garber AM, Phelps CE. Economic foundations of cost-effectiveness analysis. J Health Econ 1997; 16: 1-31.
  • 15. George B, Harris AH, Mitchell AS. Cost-effectiveness analysis and the consistency of decision making: evidence from pharmaceutical reimbursement in Australia. Pharmacoeconomics 2001; 19: 1-8.
  • 16. Larriera A. Proposal for secret AIDS tests attacked. Sydney Morning Herald 1995; 1 April, 3.

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