EPIDEMIOLOGY OF HIV-INFECTION IN CHILDREN IN ITALY

As of April 1992, 2337 children born to HIV-1-positive mothers were re corded by our multicentre study. Another 131 children were infected by contaminated blood products, while in 5 cases the risk factor remaine d unknown, as their personal history was lacking. The number of perina tally exposed children increased exponentially from 1981 to 1986, then stabilized. Of these, at last visit 624 were infected (531 P-2, 93 P- 1), 463 were P-O and 1195 had seroreverted. Drug addiction continues t o be the most frequent maternal risk factor, although infection acquir ed through sexual contact gradually increased up to 26.5% in 1991. Of the 762 first children identified at birth and older than 15 months of age, 132 (17.3%) acquired infection and seroconverted to HIV. A simil ar transmission rate was observed in 43 second-born children.