Objectives
After completing this article, readers should be able to:
Recognize the important role that the pediatrician plays in the prevention, detection, and care of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected and -affected patients.
Know the epidemiology of human immunodeficiency virus infection in infants, children and adolescents.
Select the proper HIV diagnostic testing plan for infants, children and adolescents.
Plan the comprehensive management of HIV-exposed infants.
Recognize the clinical conditions suggestive of HIV infection, including the major opportunistic infections seen in patients with HIV/AIDS.
Understand the principles, monitoring, and complications of HIV treatment in infants, children and adolescents.
Practice Gap
Effective prevention strategies have reduced the risk of perinatal transmission of HIV infection to less than 1–2% in the United States, but failures to fully implement these strategies result in continued, preventable infant HIV infections. In addition, the rising number of sexually acquired HIV infections in adolescents underscores the important role of the pediatrician in preventing and diagnosing HIV infection in youth.