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Illinois Politics & Issues at a Glare

Gov. Blagojevich Says CDC Commends Illinois for Work to Eliminate Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV/AIDS

(Springfield, IL) — In spite of the Tony Rezko trial bombshells and other legal artillery salvos, the Good-News-Department crew, under all the treacherous fire, smuggled out from the Blagojevich Administration–good news.

Gov. Rod Blagojevich announced today the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has commended Illinois for its efforts to eliminate mother-to-child transmission of HIV.

Illinois was the only state asked to present its program, “Safety Net of Perinatal HIV Prevention in Illinois,” at a recent CDC conference addressing mother-to-child HIV transmission. Illinois’ program has become a model for other states and countries.

Recent data, from October through December 2007, reveals that health professionals knew the HIV status of newborns and their mothers 99.97% of the time upon hospital discharge.

“… [M]ore than 99 percent of mother-to-newborn transmissions of HIV can be prevented if a pregnant woman is tested for HIV … and treated with medications before and after the birth of her child,” said Dr. Damon T. Arnold, Illinois Department of Public Health Director.

It’s a shame, however, that Gov. Blagojevich vetoed money for HIV/AIDS programs last year simply to smite House Democrats. Otherwise, the Governor’s record would be pretty stellar.

April 23, 2008 - Posted by David Ormsby | Children, Governor Rod Blagojevich, HIV/AIDS, Health Care, Illinois Politics, Women | , , , , , | No Comments Yet

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