NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Nearly 4 out of 10 parents with HIV (news - web sites) infection avoid casual contact such as hugging, kissing or sharing utensils with their children out of fear of infection, according to the results of a new study.
Some parents said they were afraid of transmitting HIV to their children or catching an opportunistic infection from contact with their children. The parents were more likely to avoid contact because they were afraid of transmitting HIV than because they feared catching something from their kids.
Lead author Dr. Mark A. Schuster of the University of California, Los Angeles, cautioned that parents' fears of transmitting HIV through casual contact are unfounded. "There are no cases that we've ever heard of parents transmitting HIV to a child through casual contact," he told Reuters Health. "There's no reason for parents to withhold their affection."
Parents who hesitate to hug or kiss their children may only be "diminishing their relationship" with their children, Schuster noted. This is particularly important if parents cut back on affection after being diagnosed with HIV, he added -- since children tend to blame themselves for things that happen at home, they may fear they did something wrong.
Many American children live with an HIV-infected parent, Schuster and his colleagues report in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine. Right now, 28 percent of the people being treated for HIV infection in the U.S. have children younger than 18 years old, and most HIV-positive mothers live with their children.
Despite public health messages about what can and cannot transmit HIV, many people remain confused, the authors add. For instance, a recent survey showed that more than one third of adults believe you can get HIV from kissing, and one quarter said they could become infected after sharing a drinking glass.
To determine the effects of HIV infection on parent-child interaction, Schuster and his team interviewed 344 HIV-positive parents about their fears of transmission to or from their children.
They found that 42 percent of parents were afraid of catching something from their kids, and 36 percent were afraid of transmitting HIV to their children. More than one quarter said they avoided certain interactions "a lot" out of transmission fears, while 40 percent said they held back "a little."
"The fear of catching an opportunistic infection is not unrealistic," the researchers note. "Parents are advised to avoid contract when their child has an active infection, such as a cold, but not to avoid contact on a routine basis."
Parents who have not had flu shots should be careful if their child develops the flu, Schuster added.
Nearly one out of five parents said they avoided kissing their children on the lips because they were afraid of transmitting HIV, and roughly the same percentage didn't share utensils. A small percentage also said they didn't hug their children or kiss them on the cheek because of HIV, the authors note.
Schuster said he was encouraged to see that most HIV-positive parents did not withhold affection, and the vast majority didn't hesitate to hug or kiss their children on the cheek. Hopefully, over time, more parents will get the message that casual contact is perfectly safe, he added.
SOURCE: Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, February 2005.
I'm assuming the HIV infection is post-birth because otherwise... yeah.
And... poor kids. But as a kid, not knowing what HIV was, I'd be freaked.
There are MANY cases of children being born to an HIV positive mother and not having the virus. In fact they have to wait until the child is born to determine if the child is infected because testing the amniotic fluid involved a needle, which could actually infect an uninfected child.
Joined: Wed Dec 29, 2004 9:36 pm Posts: 833 Location: Detroit, MI
PJDoll wrote:
aerojad wrote:
I'm assuming the HIV infection is post-birth because otherwise... yeah.
And... poor kids. But as a kid, not knowing what HIV was, I'd be freaked.
There are MANY cases of children being born to an HIV positive mother and not having the virus. In fact they have to wait until the child is born to determine if the child is infected because testing the amniotic fluid involved a needle, which could actually infect an uninfected child.
HA - I just dispelled another HIV myth.
Wow. How is that even possible? If the disease is transfered the process that leads to the baby being created...
I wish I had sex-ed worth a damn when I went to school.
I'm assuming the HIV infection is post-birth because otherwise... yeah.
And... poor kids. But as a kid, not knowing what HIV was, I'd be freaked.
There are MANY cases of children being born to an HIV positive mother and not having the virus. In fact they have to wait until the child is born to determine if the child is infected because testing the amniotic fluid involved a needle, which could actually infect an uninfected child.
HA - I just dispelled another HIV myth.
Wow. How is that even possible? If the disease is transfered the process that leads to the baby being created...
I wish I had sex-ed worth a damn when I went to school.
I don't really know how it's possible either since the fetus feeds of the mother, but it happens all the time.
Joined: Wed Dec 29, 2004 9:36 pm Posts: 833 Location: Detroit, MI
PJDoll wrote:
aerojad wrote:
PJDoll wrote:
aerojad wrote:
I'm assuming the HIV infection is post-birth because otherwise... yeah.
And... poor kids. But as a kid, not knowing what HIV was, I'd be freaked.
There are MANY cases of children being born to an HIV positive mother and not having the virus. In fact they have to wait until the child is born to determine if the child is infected because testing the amniotic fluid involved a needle, which could actually infect an uninfected child.
HA - I just dispelled another HIV myth.
Wow. How is that even possible? If the disease is transfered the process that leads to the baby being created...
I wish I had sex-ed worth a damn when I went to school.
I don't really know how it's possible either since the fetus feeds of the mother, but it happens all the time.
I guess when the baby's bone marrow starts pumping out its own blood the mom's blood gets washed out? That's all I can think of.
Joined: Sat Oct 16, 2004 10:46 pm Posts: 9617 Location: Medford, Oregon Gender: Male
This is from the CDC website:
Dynamics of Perinatal HIV Transmission
Perinatal transmission can occur during pregnancy (intrauterine), during labor and delivery (intrapartum), or after delivery through breast-feeding (postpartum). In the absence of breast-feeding, intrauterine transmission accounts for 25%--40% of infection, and 60%--75% of transmission occurs during labor and delivery (32). Among women who breast-feed, approximately 20%--25% of perinatal infections are believed to be associated with intrauterine transmission, 60%--70% with intrapartum transmission or very early breast-feeding, and 10%--15% with later postpartum transmission through breast-feeding (33). In a randomized trial of formula feeding versus breast-feeding, approximately 44% of HIV infection was attributed to breast-feeding (34). In breast-feeding populations, a shift toward an increasing proportion of transmission related to breast-feeding is likely to occur as a consequence of successful preventive interventions directed at late prenatal and intrapartum transmission.
Intrapartum transmission can occur during labor through maternal-fetal exchange of blood or during delivery by contact of the infant's skin or mucous membranes with infected blood or other maternal secretions (32). Several studies have indicated that most infections transmitted through breast-feeding probably occurred during the first few weeks to months of life (34--36). Risk factors during breast-feeding include viral load in breast milk (37,38), subclinical or clinical mastitis (37,39,40), breast abscesses (39,40), and maternal seroconversion during the lactation period (39,41).
Several risk factors are associated with perinatal HIV transmission. Clinical factors that increase the likelihood of transmission include immunologically or clinically advanced HIV disease in the mother, high plasma viral load (12,25,42), maternal injection-drug use during pregnancy, preterm delivery, nonreceipt of the PACTG 076 regimen, and breast-feeding (32). No link has been established between perinatal HIV transmission and maternal age, race/ethnicity, or history of having a previously infected child.
Obstetric factors also influence HIV transmission risk. The risk for perinatal trans-mission increases per hour duration of membrane rupture after controlling for other risk factors (43). Delivery >4 hours after the rupture of the fetal membranes can double the risk for HIV transmission (19,44). Maternal infection with another sexually transmitted disease (STD) during pregnancy and certain obstetrical procedures can also increase risk (45). Chorioamnionitis (i.e., uterine infection) has been associated with an increased risk for HIV transmission (23,46).
Most of these risk factors were identified before the recommended use of ZDV to prevent perinatal HIV transmission. Their effects are unknown now that most pregnant women infected with HIV are receiving ZDV chemoprophylaxis to prevent mother-to- child transmission, as well as combination therapy for their own health. Because of the sharp reductions in perinatal HIV transmission associated with effective antiretroviral interventions, factors that interfere with women or their infants receiving ZDV treatment (e.g., barriers to prenatal care, lack of HIV testing for some pregnant women) are increasingly important (9).
Prevention of Perinatal Transmission
The birth of every perinatally HIV-infected infant is a sentinel health event signaling either a missed prevention opportunity or, more rarely, a failure of prophylaxis. An opportunity is missed whenever a woman of childbearing age is unaware of her HIV status or her risk for HIV or when an HIV-infected pregnant woman a) does not receive prenatal care, b) is not offered HIV testing, c) is unable to obtain HIV testing, d) is not offered chemoprophylaxis, e) is unable to obtain chemoprophylaxis, or f) does not complete the chemoprophylaxis regimen. Prophylaxis failures occur when an infant becomes infected despite chemoprophylaxis and other preventive interventions (9). Each of these missed opportunities or failures deserves attention from service providers and prevention programs.
Early Prenatal Care
Maximum reduction of perinatal transmission depends on preventing HIV infection in women or identifying HIV infection before pregnancy or as early as possible during pregnancy. Diagnosis allows a woman to receive effective antiretroviral therapies for her own health and preventive drugs (e.g., ZDV) to improve the chances that her infant will be born free of infection. Early knowledge of maternal HIV status is also important for decisions regarding obstetrical management. Achieving these goals requires increased access to and use of prenatal care.
Four states that conducted enhanced HIV surveillance reported that during 1993--1996, approximately 15% of HIV-infected pregnant women in the United States received no prenatal care, compared with only 2% of women in the general population (5). HIV-infected women who used illicit drugs during pregnancy were at the highest risk for not receiving prenatal care --- 35% compared with 6% for HIV-infected women who were not drug users. During 1997--1998, the HIV transmission rate among women in New York State was 17.5% (30/171) among those with no prenatal care, 16.2% (23/142) among those with 1--2 prenatal visits, and 8.0% (90/1,124) among those with >3 prenatal visits, indicating the importance of prenatal care in providing services that prevent perinatal transmission (47).
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Joined: Sun Oct 17, 2004 7:19 pm Posts: 39068 Location: Chapel Hill, NC, USA Gender: Male
PJDoll wrote:
HA - I just dispelled another HIV myth.
*impressed*
_________________ "Though some may think there should be a separation between art/music and politics, it should be reinforced that art can be a form of nonviolent protest." - e.v.
Joined: Wed Oct 27, 2004 5:58 am Posts: 4417 Location: a block from yoko Gender: Female
this is one of the saddest cases of misinformation i have ever read. the thought of a mother not hugging her child because she's afraid to infect him with HIV is unbearable.
i don't understand how people are still under the impression that you contract HIV/AIDS from shaking hands
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Joined: Sun Oct 17, 2004 7:19 pm Posts: 39068 Location: Chapel Hill, NC, USA Gender: Male
macjunkie wrote:
this is one of the saddest cases of misinformation i have ever read. the thought of a mother not hugging her child because she's afraid to infect him with HIV is unbearable.
i don't understand how people are still under the impression that you contract HIV/AIDS from shaking hands
Wouldn't you think the pediatrician would explain stuff to the parents?
_________________ "Though some may think there should be a separation between art/music and politics, it should be reinforced that art can be a form of nonviolent protest." - e.v.
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In that situation I could never hold in hugs to my kids