Contact your State Rep Today to Vote YES on HB2800

In the Illinois House of Representatives this week, Rep. Mary Flowers (D-Chicago) will be presenting HB 2800, a bill that amends the Perinatal HIV Prevention Act to expand testing among HIV vulnerable pregnant mothers. This bill would add a third trimester HIV test in addition to the first trimester test.

The third trimester test ensures that medical providers identify HIV infections in pregnant mothers before delivery and reduces the instances of HIV transmission from mother to baby. This amendment will expand the safety net for HIV vulnerable mothers and babies, and is vital in the mission to completely eliminate mother-to-child HIV transmission. Of the 20 cases of maternal HIV acquisition during pregnancy in the last seven years in Illinois, there have been seven confirmed cases of HIV in infants.

The Centers for Disease Control and American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology recommend a third trimester HIV test for high prevalence areas. Illinois is considered a high prevalence area because our statewide prevalence of HIV is 1% or greater.

Please contact your state representative today and ask them vote YES on HB 2800!