HIV kids lack immunity to 'school' diseases.

• Position: YOUR LIFE - Brief article

Between one-third and one-half of individuals in the U.S. who were infected with HIV around the time of birth may not have sufficient immunity to ward off measles, mumps, and rubella--even though they may have been vaccinated against these diseases. This estimate, from a National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Md., research network, in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Ga., is based on a study of children and youth exposed to HIV in the womb.

"Having a high level of immunity to measles, mumps, and rubella is important not only for an individual's health, but for preventing disease outbreaks in the larger community," says the study's first...