[Prevention of HIV vertical transmission: obstetricians' attitude in Salvador, Brazil].

Purpose: to evaluate the attitudes and knowledge of obstetricians from public maternities in Salvador city (PMS) about the recommendations from the Health Ministry (HM) for the prophylaxis of vertical transmission of HIV (VTH) and antiretroviral therapy in pregnant women. The influence of working conditions, availability for quick testing and antiretroviral therapy has also been evaluated concerning the application of these recommendations.

Methodology: a transversal study from August to November 2005, involving 129/152 (85%) of the obstetricians from all the PMS.