TITLE:
HIV and Seroconversion among Pregnant Women at the University Hospital of Mother and Child in Chad
AUTHORS:
Fissou Henry Yandai, Ali Mahamat Moussa, Mahamat Ali Bolti, Djidda Abakar Oumar, Hissene Adanaou, Khadidja Attimer, Hamit Mahamat Alio, Kuan Abdoulaye Traore, Nicolas Barro
KEYWORDS:
HIV, Prevalence, Seroconversion, Pregnancy, Chad
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Biosciences and Medicines,
Vol.11 No.1,
January
20,
2023
ABSTRACT: Background: HIV in pregnant women presented a risk of transmission to newborns. This study was to determine HIV prevalence among pregnant women in the birthing rooms and give antiretrovirals to women infected and their newborns. Methods: A preliminary study was conducted from 2013 to 2015 at the Mother and Child Hospital. Pregnant women were counseled and tested for HIV-antibody according to the national algorithm using Determine HIV 1 & 2 and Immunocomb II Bispot HIV1 & 2. The women screened HIV-negative during the prenatal consultation and who accepted a second test were screened in the birth room. The data collected were processed using the Access Microsoft office 16 and SPSS software version 18. Results: A total of 6080 pregnant women were tested before and in the birth room. Of these, 5943 (97.4%) were detected as HIV-negative and 159 (2.6%) were HIV-positive. Of the 5943 with HIV-negative status, 1333 accepted the second test in the birth room, 10 of which have become HIV-positive. The rate of seroconversions was 0.75%. Conclusion: This study determined the prevalence of HIV in pregnant women. The result reveals the importance and necessity of repeating the screening test in the birth room because of the possibility of seroconversion or new infection during pregnancy.