On very rare occasions, because of the potential severity of a particular disorder, the doctor will treat the child immediately while waiting for the results of the second series of tests. If you are asked to have your baby retested, please act quickly, so the repeat test can be done immediately. None of these eight disorders can be cured. In the case of HIV, only a quarter of babies who test positive are actually infected and will need treatment. That depends on the disorder.
Some disorders are genetic, and transmitted from parents to their children.
Many families seek genetic counseling to better understand why they have a child with an inherited disorder, and to discuss risks to their future children. Other disorders are not inherited. HIV infection is caused by a virus, not a gene. There is a one in four chance that a baby born to an HIV-infected mother will also be infected, unless she gets special treatment while pregnant. It can be transmitted by an HIV-infected woman to her baby in the womb, during delivery or from breastfeeding.