HIV Testing for Mothers and Newborns - Kaiser State Health Facts

HIV Testing for Mothers and Newborns, February 2008

Rank by:
		Rank Order:

	Type of HIV Testing	Notes
	Type of HIV Testing	Notes

United States	22 States have opt-out testing of pregnant women; 30 have opt-in. 10 States have newborn testing.	The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends opt-out, routine HIV screening of all pregnant women and recommends newborn testing if mother's HIV status is unknown.

Alabama	Opt-in testing of pregnant women
Alaska	Opt-in testing of pregnant women
Arizona	Opt-in testing of pregnant women
Arkansas	Opt-out testing of pregnant women	Providers are required to test a pregnant woman for HIV as early as possible in her pregnancy or at the time of delivery unless she refuses.
California	Opt-out testing of pregnant women	Routine offer of HIV testing to pregnant women recommended.
Colorado	Opt-in testing of pregnant women
Connecticut	Opt-out testing of pregnant women; Newborn testing	Providers are required to test a pregnant woman for HIV when she is admitted for delivery, unless she refuses, if she has not already been tested. Newborn testing required as soon as possible after birth.
Delaware	Opt-in testing of pregnant women	Routine offer of HIV testing to pregnant women recommended.
District of Columbia	Opt-in testing of pregnant women	Routine offer of HIV testing to pregnant women recommended.
Florida	Opt-out testing of pregnant women	Providers are required to test a pregnant woman for HIV unless she refuses.
Georgia	Opt-out testing of pregnant women	Providers are required to test a pregnant woman for HIV unless she refuses.
Hawaii	Opt-in testing of pregnant women
Idaho	Opt-in testing of pregnant women
Illinois	Opt-out testing of pregnant women; Newborn testing	Providers are required to test a pregnant woman for HIV when she is admitted for delivery if she has not already been tested, unless she refuses. Newborn testing required as soon as possible (within 24-48 hours) after birth if mothers HIV status is unknown.
Indiana	Opt-out testing of pregnant women	Providers are required to test a pregnant woman for HIV unless she refuses. Providers may test newborns for HIV if the mothers HIV status is unknown and the provider believes testing is medically necessary.
Iowa	Opt-out testing of pregnant women	Providers are required to test a pregnant woman for HIV unless she refuses. Information about HIV prevention, risk reduction, and how treatment can reduce the risk of transmission of HIV to the fetus must be made available and pregnant woman must be notified that HIV testing is recommended for all prenatal patients.
Kansas	Opt-in testing of pregnant women
Kentucky	Opt-in testing of pregnant women
Louisiana	Opt-in testing of pregnant women	Routine offer of HIV testing to pregnant women recommended.
Maine	Opt-in testing of pregnant women
Maryland	Opt-in testing of pregnant women
Massachusetts	Opt-in testing of pregnant women
Michigan	Opt-out testing of pregnant women	Providers are required to test a pregnant woman for HIV unless she refuses.
Minnesota	Opt-in testing of pregnant women	Routine offer of HIV testing to pregnant women recommended.
Mississippi	Opt-out testing of pregnant women; Newborn testing
Missouri	Opt-in testing of pregnant women
Montana	Opt-in testing of pregnant women
Nebraska	Opt-in testing of pregnant women
Nevada	Opt-out testing of pregnant women; Newborn testing	Providers are required to test a pregnant woman for HIV unless she refuses. Newborn testing required if mother has not been tested or her HIV status is unknown.
New Hampshire	Opt-in testing of pregnant women
New Jersey	Opt-out testing of pregnant women; Newborn testing	Providers are required to test a pregnant woman for HIV unless she refuses. Newborn testing required if mother is HIV positive or her HIV status is unknown.
New Mexico	Opt-out testing of pregnant women	Providers are required to inform pregnant women that an HIV test is part of routine prenatal testing.
New York	Opt-in testing of pregnant women; Newborn testing	Routine offer of HIV testing to pregnant women recommended. Newborn testing required if mother has not been tested.
North Carolina	Opt-out testing of pregnant women; Newborn testing	Providers are required to offer HIV test to pregnant women at first prenatal visit and in third trimester, unless she refuses, and required to test for HIV at labor and delivery if HIV test not done before or test results are unknown. Newborn testing required if mothers HIV status unknown.
North Dakota	Opt-in testing of pregnant women
Ohio	Opt-in testing of pregnant women
Oklahoma	Opt-out testing of pregnant women
Oregon	Opt-out testing of pregnant women	Providers are required to test a pregnant woman for HIV unless she refuses.
Pennsylvania	Opt-in testing of pregnant women
Rhode Island	Opt-in testing of pregnant women	Routine offer of HIV testing to pregnant women recommended.
South Carolina	Opt-out testing of pregnant women; Newborn testing	Providers are required to test a pregnant woman for HIV unless she refuses.
South Dakota	Opt-in testing of pregnant women; Newborn testing
Tennessee	Opt-out testing of pregnant women	Providers are required to test a pregnant woman for HIV unless she refuses.
Texas	Opt-out testing of pregnant women	Providers are required to test a pregnant woman for HIV unless she refuses.
Utah	Opt-out testing of pregnant women
Vermont	Opt-out testing of pregnant women	Providers are required to test a pregnant woman for HIV unless she refuses.
Virginia	Opt-in testing of pregnant women	Routine offer of HIV testing to pregnant women recommended.
Washington	Opt-in testing of pregnant women	Routine offer of HIV testing to pregnant women recommended.
West Virginia	Opt-in testing of pregnant women
Wisconsin	Opt-in testing of pregnant women; Newborn testing
Wyoming	Opt-out testing of pregnant women

Guam	NA
Puerto Rico	Opt-in testing of pregnant women
Virgin Islands	NA

Sources:

South Carolina Code SC ST SEC 44-29-120. Available at: http://www.scstatehouse.net/cgi-bin/query.exe?first=DOC&querytext=%22HIV%20test%22&category=Code&conid=3446648&result_pos=0&keyval=850

Definitions:

Current CDC recommendations, CDC, Revised Recommendations for HIV Testing of Adults, Adolescents, and Pregnant Women in Health-Care Settings, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report Vol. 55(RR14);1-17; September 22, 2006. Available at: http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/rr5514a1.htm: Pregnant Women: In September 2006, the CDC revised its recommendations for HIV screening of pregnant women in health care settings. The CDC now recommends that HIV screening be part of the routine panel of prenatal screening tests for all pregnant women, unless the patient declines (“opt-out” screening). Repeat screening in the third trimester is also recommended for certain high risk women and for women in jurisdictions with elevated rates of HIV infection among pregnant women. It is also recommended that pregnant women receive oral and written information that includes an explanation of HIV infection, a description of interventions that can reduce HIV transmission from mother to infant and the meanings of positive and negative test results.
Newborns: The CDC recommends that newborns be tested for HIV if the mother’s HIV status is unknown. If the mother’s HIV status is unknown at labor, routine, rapid HIV testing is recommended. If the mother’s HIV status is unknown prior to the onset of labor and rapid HIV testing is not done during labor, CDC recommends rapid HIV testing of the infant immediately post-partum.

Opt-out HIV Testing of Pregnant Women: HIV test is part of routine prenatal care and pregnant women will be tested unless she refuses (testing will occur unless she “opts-out”).

Opt-in HIV Testing of Pregnant Women: HIV test not necessarily part of routine prenatal care and pregnant women must specifically request and/or consent to an HIV test (testing will not occur unless she “opts-in”). In some states, routine offer of HIV testing is recommended.

Newborn HIV Testing: Newborn testing is mandatory if mother’s HIV status is unknown or test results not available; some states allow for parent to refuse test on religious grounds. Note that states allowing newborn testing at provider’s discretion were not considered to have newborn testing, as defined here and based on the CDC’s current recommendations.

Help