Updated at 3.41pm: Early testing of HIV-infected mothers can reduce the possibility of giving birth to HIV positive babies, according to a medical report released on Thursday.
The report, conducted by the Department of Health, showed anti-HIV drug use on mothers, when foetuses were 24-weeks-old, could prevent them passing the HIV virus to babies. Six additional weeks treatment on babies after delivery was also needed, it said.
Department medical officer Wong Ka-hing said overseas studies showed that if an HIV-infected mother and foetus were treated early the probability of infecting the baby was less than five per cent.
''Statistics show unknown HIV-infected mothers will have a greater risk of having HIV positive babies. Early treatment [on both mother and foetus] can reduce the probability [of infecting the baby] more than 10 fold,'' Dr Wong said.
The department said that during 2000, 183 people in Hong Kong were found to be HIV positive and 67 new Aids cases were reported. The total figure is now 1,542 and 500 respectively, it said.
Two babies became HIV positive through perinatal transmission and another one was found to have Aids.
