Epidemiology of pediatric human immunodeficiency virus infection in the United States.

Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection is a growing problem for children worldwide. As of 31 December 1992, 4249 children with Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS) under 13 years of age had been reported to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). HIV is transmitted to children predominantly from their mothers. Nearly all cases of HIV infection acquired from blood transfusions in the United States occurred before donor-screening practices were implemented in March 1985. In 1991, approximately 7000 HIV-infected women gave birth to a liveborn infant in the United States, for a prevalence of 1.7 per 1000 women. Despite recent advances in prophylactic therapy for opportunistic infections, Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia remains the most common AIDS-defining illness in children in the United States. If these cases are to be prevented, children born to HIV-infected mothers will need to be identified early and monitored appropriately for CD4+ cell counts to determine the need for prophylaxis.