Testing Children Of Hiv-Positive Parents: A Multidisciplinary Approach

The document ‘Don't Forget the Children’ (2009) outlined that all adult HIV services should have pathways in place to ensure children of HIV positive parents are tested for HIV.1 Children born outside the UK could miss interventions to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV and subsequent testing.2 Previous audits have highlighted reasons parents are reluctant to test their children including the child appearing well, fear of disclosure and stigma.3 ,4 Our genitourinary medicine (GUM) department audited the number of untested children of HIV-positive parents attending HIV care. A multidisciplinary (MDT) group was formed between GUM and paediatrics to identify HIV-positive patients with untested children. We collected data prospectively between October 2010 and March 2011 on all children of HIV-positive parents. …