Midwifery care of HIV positive mothers in Australia

What is HIV? Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is a communicable virus that is spread through some body fluids. Untreated HIV infection can severely compromise the immune system by attacking and destroying CD4 cells, leaving it vulnerable to infection and disease, later resulting in Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (AIDS). There are two types of HIV infection, HIV-1, and HIV-2. HIV-1 accounts for 95% of all HIV infections and is the type most commonly seen in Australia (Avert, 2019).