Early Infant Diagnosis

Birth PCR where available will be done within 48hrs of birth ONLY for high MTCT risk infants. ART initiation is recommended as soon as birth PCR results are available. For babies who test HIV positive at birth ALWAYS retest and confirm results with repeat PCR but retesting should not delay ART initiation. Babies who test negative at birth (birth PCR) or not tested MUST be tested at 6 weeks. Infants at high risk of transmission will receive dual ARVs (AZT and NVP) for 12 weeks as prophylaxis if b