1st infant in Maine since 2019 tests positive for HIV

Maine has its first case of perinatally acquired HIV since 2019.

A June 13 public health alert from the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention announced an infant with perinatally-acquired HIV, meaning HIV was passed from a pregnant person to their child during pregnancy, childbirth or breastfeeding, was found in Maine.

Perinatal HIV infections are rare, with 21 cases in the U.S. in 2021. The last case in Maine occurred in 2019.

Though it’s unclear where the infant with perinatally-acquired HIV was born in Maine, the case comes at a time when 13 people in Penobscot County have tested positive for HIV since October 2023. That far exceeds the average of two new cases of HIV Penobscot County has seen diagnosed each year over the past five years, according to the Maine CDC.

Perinatal HIV in the U.S. has fallen by more than 95 percent since the early 1990s, as it’s considered preventable through proper medical care and testing, which is required by Maine law.

Annual perinatal HIV diagnosis rates nationwide declined from 1.6 percent to 0.9 percent from 2010 to 2019, according to a report from the American Academy of Pediatrics. The decline met the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s goal of having fewer than one case of perinatal HIV per 100,000 live births.

HIV is a virus that attacks a person’s immune system, destroying cells that fight infection and disease, according to the CDC. There is no cure for HIV, but it can be controlled with proper medical treatment. Without treatment, HIV can develop into AIDS.

The Maine CDC recommended all pregnant people get tested for HIV as early as possible in each pregnancy. A second test in the third trimester is recommended for pregnant people with risk factors for contracting HIV, like if they shared syringes with others.

Infants with perinatal HIV should receive antiretroviral therapy — a combination of daily HIV medicines that can help people with HIV live longer, healthier lives and reduce the risk of transmission — as soon as possible.

The Maine CDC recommends all people with risk factors for HIV infection get tested at least every three months.