Pregnant women in the greater Auckland area are to be offered a free HIV screen test to reduce the risk of the disease being passed on to their babies
Health professionals across the three district health boards in the area - Auckland, Counties Manukau and Waitemata - werebeing trained and the new service would be offered to all women in July.
The screening, which involved a blood test, was not obligatory and would be done only with the women's consent, said Donna Raymond from the Auckland District Health Board.
About 20,000 babies were born in the area every year and about 95 per cent of pregnant mothers were expected to take up the offer of a free HIV screen.
Since 2000, 14 children in New Zealand had contracted HIV because it was undetected during pregnancy.
The three health boards said in a joint statement if women were diagnosed and treated in pregnancy, the risk of transmitting HIV to their babies could be reduced from up to 30 per cent to less than one per cent.
No babies had been born in New Zealand to women with HIV who had been diagnosed and treated during their pregnancies.
