Question
Is my baby safe after testing negative at 4 months?
16 July 2023. Related: All topics, Children, HIV transmission.
Hi, I found out I was HIV positive during pregnancy and I started ARVs immediately and my baby was born negative. She was also tested at 6 weeks and the results came out negative.
So I just wanna ask if there’s anything that can change her current status? She’s turning 4 months in 2 weeks.
Answer
Hi, how are you doing?
Congratulations on having a baby.
It is great that both you and baby have been on treatment.
Is baby being breastfed? It is recommended to exclusively breastfeed until baby is 6 months if this is something you can do. When breastfeeding it is recommended that a test is done a few weeks after their last feed.
Even though very small as both you and baby has been on medication, a final test is required after stopping breastfeeding as there is a very small risk of transmission.
If baby has been only on formula milk since last testing negative, there is no further risk to baby. No further tests would be required.
Josh.