AVOIDABLE HIV FOUND IN 7 KIDS MOMS SOUGHT CARE TOO LATE.

Byline: Troy Anderson Staff Writer

Los Angeles County health officials reported Monday that they recently found seven children born with HIV whose infections might have been prevented if their mothers were treated before giving birth.

The HIV virus was found in the children, as old as 5, only after they began displaying symptoms of deadly disease.

``To have an infant born infected with HIV is a tragic failure of prevention,'' said Dr. Jonathan E. Fielding, county health officer and county director of public health.

``Despite the important success in preventing perinatal HIV transmission in Los Angeles County, there are still groups of women that are at risk to deliver a baby infected with HIV. These are women who do not receive prenatal care.''

All seven of the HIV-infected children identified in the last few weeks were born within the last five years, including four born in 2001. The number of cases has averaged four to five a year since 1998 after dropping from 10 in 1997 and 18 in 1996, when prenatal screening was instituted in the county.

The previously unknown cases underscore the need to offer prenatal HIV screening to all pregnant women, health officials said. Studies show that HIV drugs dramatically reduce a women's risk of passing the virus on to the fetus and are often successful within 24 hours after the baby is born.

``These cases were just reported to us in the past few weeks, and they raised a red flag,'' said Dr. Laurene Mascola, chief of the acute communicable disease control unit in the county Public Health Department. ``Women who are at the highest risk of HIV are not receiving prenatal care where they would have the opportunity to learn of their infection, get early treatment and care and prevent passing the disease on to their baby.

``In addition, some women do not think they are at risk and refuse the HIV test during their prenatal care. These women may need additional counseling.''

Dr. Toni Frederick, chief epidemiologist in the Pediatric Spectrum of HIV Disease, a program funded by the national Centers for Disease Control, said two of the cases involve women who were monogamous, didn't think they were at risk and didn't get prenatal screening.

``What was a completely preventable case ... turned out to be two infected babies,'' Frederick said.

Health department records show that most public and private prenatal-care providers offer pregnant women the HIV test.

Although the American Medical Association has endorsed required testing of all pregnant women, women have the right to refuse an HIV test while receiving prenatal care. Data show that many women refuse to take the test.

Those who commonly do not receive prenatal care are substance abusers, incarcerated, undocumented, non-English speaking, uninsured, homeless and teens. There are also those who receive prenatal care but don't appear to be risk, are unaware of their risk or refuse to recognize their risk for being HIV-infected.