Aids and Society
The number of newborns infected by vertical transmission of the human immunodeficiency virus is increasing as the prevalence of HIV-positive women increase within the United States. It is estimated that while seven thousand HIV-positive women become pregnant each year, between one thousand and two thousand of their newborns will be HIV-positive. This research paper will concentrate on the transmission of the human immunodeficiency virus from mother to child, the benefits of drugs intervention, and whether or not the HIV-screening process of pregnant women should remain voluntary or become mandatory.The HIV-virus has proven that it is not a disease to be taken lightly or ignored. I chose this topic because I want to be informed about the virus and its rate of vertical transmission so that I will be able to inform others about such ethical topics: Does the baby have rights and should a pregnant women be denied her right to privacy with respect to HIV? Data shows that AIDS is now increasing faster among females than males, with women accounting for seven percent of cases in 1985 and nineteen percent in 1995. The incidences of HIV-positive heterosexual women have risen dramatically over the pas
Davis, Susan F. "Study: Fewer HIV-infected babies being born." American Medical FDA Consumer "HIV transmission to babies reduced in early study results. "May 1994: 3- 4. A major breakthrough in drug intervention began in February 1993. The AIDS Clinical Trials Group administered a double-blinded, randomized, placebo-controlled study of zidovudine, also known as AST. Four hundred seventy-five women were enrolled in the study. These women were randomly assigned to one of two groups. One group received zidovudine while the other, the control group, received a placebo. The administration of either zidovudine or placebo began in the second trimester of pregnancy and continued through labor. For six weeks after birth, the babies received the same treatment as the mothers in a syrup form. Because it was a double-blinded study, neither the researchers nor the patients knew who was actually receiving the zidovudine. Only three hundred sixty-four babies of the four hundred twenty-one born were available for testing. Results showed that, "of the three hundred sixty-four available for testing, fifty-three were infected with HIV; thirteen were born to mothers receiving zidovudine and forty to mothers on placebo" (FDA Consumer 3). According to this data, when both mothers and babies received zidovudine, there was a transmission rate of 8.3 percent. This was a dramatic decrease in the rate of transmission when compared to the control group who had a transmission rate of 25.5 percent. Kent, Cristina. "HIV testing of pregnant women, newborns debated." American Medical
Some common words found in the essay are:
Clinical Trials, Control Trials, Disease Control, Atlanta Georgia, Aids Society, Data AIDS, Obstetricians Gynecologists, FDA Consumer, United Kent, HIV-virus Testing, pregnant women, mandatory testing, testing pregnant women, transmission rate, american medical, center disease, immunodeficiency virus, human immunodeficiency, testing pregnant, women newborns, pregnant women newborns, human immunodeficiency virus, hiv-positive pregnant women, voluntary screening, center disease control,
Approximate Word count = 1849
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)
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