Newborns exposed to HIV during pregnancy or birth should receive preventive antiretroviral medication immediately after delivery to reduce the risk of transmission from mother to child.

But a study finds that more than half of infants diagnosed with HIV in their first year of life had not received this essential postnatal treatment — suggesting their mothers’ infections may not have been detected during pregnancy.

The study also highlights racial disparities in HIV exposure, infection and treatment: The majority of infants who had not been treated for an HIV infection after birth were Black, according to the findings in Pediatrics.

“Being born with HIV profoundly affects a child’s health and future, and we have effective tools to prevent it,” said senior author Kengo Inagaki, M.D.,

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