How do we prevent babies from getting HIV?
A woman infected with HIV can pass the virus on
to her baby during pregnancy, while giving birth or when breast-feeding.
If a woman is infected before or during pregnancy,
without medical treatment, her child has about one chance in four of
being born with HIV.
There must be no breast-feeding by the infected
mother . Even then, the risk of infecting the child cannot be totally
eliminated.
Any woman who is considering having a baby and who thinks she might
have done something that could have caused her to become infected with
HIV -- even if this occurred years ago -- should seek counseling and
testing for HIV infection to help her make an informed choice about
becoming pregnant.
How can people who use injections
reduce their risk of HIV infection? 
For injection users, the following steps may be taken to reduce personal
and public health risks:
*Never reuse or "share" syringes, water, or drug preparation
equipment.
*Only use syringes obtained from a reliable source (such as pharmacies
or needle exchange programs).
*Use a new, sterile syringe to prepare and inject drugs.
*If possible, use sterile water to prepare drugs; otherwise, use clean
water from a reliable source (such as fresh tap water).
*Use a new or disinfected container ("cooker") and a new filter
("cotton") to
prepare drugs.
*Clean the injection site prior to injection with a new alcohol swab.
*Safely dispose of syringes after one use.
*If new, sterile syringes and other drug preparation and injection equipment
are not available, then previously used equipment should be boiled in
water or disinfected with
bleach before reuse.
*Persons who continue to inject drugs should periodically be tested
for HIV.
