Uptake of HIV screening in an antenatal clinic

OBJECTIVE: To assess the uptake of HIV screening in pregnant women attending a tertiary hospital antenatal clinic. METHODS: An audit was undertaken in an antenatal clinic where HIV screening was routinely offered to all women following counselling. For the women offered HIV testing, note was taken whether the woman agreed to testing or refused, and if so, the reason for refusal. RESULTS: Sixty eight percent of women who were offered testing opted to have the test performed. Thirty two percent of women decided against testing, with half of these reporting a recent (negative) HIV test result. CONCLUSIONS: Over 80% of pregnant women were willing to have HIV testing. IMPLICATIONS: With the introduction of recommendations that all pregnant women be given the opportunity for HIV screening, a high participation rate can be expected from women who are offered testing, with the potential for minimisation of vertical transmission by identification of HIV positive women.     

The value of highly active antiretroviral therapy in the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV.

Over 90% of the children infected with HIV globally were as a result of mother-to-child transmission. With a high prevalence of HIV among women of reproductive age and a high fertility rate in Nigeria, the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV is an important strategy to curb the menace of HIV. This paper examines the value of highly active antiretroviral treatment in the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV. Pregnant women attending the antenatal clinic of the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital were offered voluntary counselling and testing for HIV. Seropositive women who fulfilled the criteria for administration of antiretroviral drugs were offered a triple combination of nevirapine, stavudine and lamivudine in pregnancy. Women who did not fulfil the criteria were offered single dose nevirapine in labour. The newborn of all HIV-positive women were offered nevirapine suspension within 72 h of delivery. Overall transmission rate for women who had combination treatment was 9.1% which was lowered to zero level among those that had elective caesarean section and infant formula in addition to the drugs. Those who had single dose nevirapine in labour had a transmission rate of 33.3%. It is recommended that the single dose nevirapine be abandoned in favour of combination treatment.     

Voluntary counselling and testing (VCT) for Human Immunodeficiency Virus: a study on acceptability by Nigerian women attending antenatal clinics

This study was carried out among 345 pregnant women attending antenatal clinics at two health facilities in Lagos, Nigeria. It was undertaken to determine their knowledge and acceptability of HIV voluntary counselling and testing in pregnancy as a strategy for the prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV. Data were collected on issues relating to mother-to-child transmission of HIV, willingness to go for voluntary counselling and testing, actions to be taken if a pregnant woman was found to be HIV positive including infant feeding options. Majority of the women (89.9%) had good knowledge of the modes of HIV transmission, however, knowledge of specific aspects of PMTCT was poor. Close to half of the women (41.7%) were not aware of the association between breast milk and HIV transmission. Almost all the women (96.1%) were willing to undergo HIV testing in pregnancy particularly if it would assist preventing transmission of HIV to their babies; but only few would undergo the test if the result would be shared with relatives. Many of the women would still prefer breastfeeding even if they were found to be HIV positive. Awareness of anti-retroviral drugs among the study group was very poor. As the country is about to embark on its PMTTCT programme, there is need to increase the level of knowledge, acceptability and adoption of VCT and other PMTCT strategies among potential beneficiaries. Innovative information and education techniques need to be developed to provide HIV positive mothers with knowledge and skills that can enable them to make informed choices about infant feeding options and other forms of care.     

Determinants of antepartum human immunodeficiency virus testing in a non-Medicaid obstetric population.

OBJECTIVE: To determine voluntary human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) testing rates and factors influencing testing in a private obstetric practice. METHODS: Antepartum patients were offered HIV testing after completing a self-assessment questionnaire. Perceived risks and demographics were correlated with testing rates. RESULTS: Overall, 348/600 (58%) women consented to HIV testing. In a univariate analysis, patients with "any" perceived risk(s) were more likely to be tested. Single women and those with an at-risk partner(s) or a history of sexually transmitted disease (STD) were more likely to desire testing. These factors remained independently associated with voluntary testing in a multivariate regression model. No patients tested positive for HIV. CONCLUSIONS: In our private obstetric practice, 26% of women perceived themselves at risk for HIV infection, and testing rates depended on the various risks identified. A history of STDs or an at-risk sexual partner were stronger predictors of voluntary testing than was marital status. Focused HIV counseling among pregnant women at relatively low risk for infection may be possible.     

Mexican women's reasons for accepting or declining HIV antibody testing in pregnancy

OBJECTIVE: To determine pregnant women's reasons for accepting or declining the HIV test in Leon, Mexico. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study using a face-to-face questionnaire. SETTING: The antenatal clinic at a tertiary-care referral hospital in Leon, Mexico. PARTICIPANTS: 1184 pregnant women. DATA COLLECTION: Reasons for accepting or declining the HIV antibodies test, socio-economic characteristics and risk factors for HIV were recorded. Blood samples were obtained from women who accepted to be tested, and positive serologies to HIV on duplicate enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay testing were confirmed by Western Blot assay. FINDINGS: 1009 (85.2%) women accepted the HIV antibodies test. The main reason for accepting it was that women felt the test could be beneficial to their babies (45.1%). The two main reasons for rejecting the HIV antibodies test were that women felt the test was unnecessary because their husbands did not have sexual intercourse with other women (32.6%), and because they did not have permission from their husbands for accepting the test (23.5%). None of the women tested positive for HIV antibodies (0 per 1009). KEY CONCLUSIONS: The reasons for accepting the HIV test were similar to those reported in developed countries. One important reason for declining the test was that women did not have their husband's permission. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: The acceptance rate for HIV testing in pregnant women could be improved by counselling men on the value of their wives being tested in pregnancy.     

Using the Rapid HIV Test to Rescreen Women in the Third Trimester of Pregnancy

Antiretroviral therapy during pregnancy in HIV‐infected women has dramatically reduced the rate of mother to child HIV transmission in the United States. National guidelines strongly recommend universal HIV testing of all pregnant women with repeat screening in the third‐trimester in high‐risk populations. To determine patient attitudes towards third‐trimester rescreening, a convenience sample was recruited during routine prenatal visits at an urban clinic and participants were surveyed to determine attitudes about HIV third‐trimester retesting, acceptability of the rapid HIV testing, condom use, and knowledge of partner's HIV status during pregnancy. Participants were offered a third‐trimester rapid HIV retest with the option to decline the test. Eighty pregnant women participated; 95% agreed to be retested with a rapid HIV test, 100% received immediate HIV results, and 91% reported that the rapid test was less stressful than conventional testing. There were no seroconversions. Although 35% did not know their partner's HIV status, 57% of these women reported never using condoms during pregnancy. There was a significant association between reported stage of behavior change and reported likelihood of using condoms. We found that rescreening with the rapid HIV test in the third trimester of pregnancy was well accepted and is important to prevent perinatal HIV transmission.     

Prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV at Maiduguri, Nigeria.

The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) can be transmitted vertically through the placenta in utero, during labour and delivery and through breast milk. In Nigeria, about 5.8% of women attending antenatal clinics were HIV infected as of December 2002. It was projected that by the end of the year 2002, there were about 849,000 orphans resulting from AIDS and about 755,000 established paediatric AIDS in this country. Interventions to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV include voluntary counselling and testing (VCT), administration of antiretroviral drugs (ARV), modification of obstetric practices and infant feeding options in HIV infection. Over the period July 2002-June 2003, 262 pregnant women received VCT at the antenatal clinic of the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, and 207 (79%) agreed to be tested. Thirty-one (11.8%) were HIV positive. The majority of the HIV positive mothers received nevirapine in labour while 35% had combination ARV drugs in pregnancy. All the infants received nevirapine suspension within 72 hours of delivery. Expensive and slow testing facilities, insufficient and inconsistent counsellors, lack of ARV drugs for both mother and baby as well as unaffordable caesarean delivery were some of the constraints being faced at this centre. It is recommended that the governments at various levels should show more commitment to the programme of preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV.     

Preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV in developing countries: recent developments and ethical implications.

Various regimens of antiretroviral (ARV) therapy during pregnancy and labour have been found to be effective in reducing the risk of mother-to-child transmission of HIV. Cost and late identification of women with HIV infection during pregnancy in many developing countries have been the impetus to study inexpensive, short-course ARV regimens. Recently, it was shown that a single dose of nevirapine given orally once during labour to the mother and once to the infant greatly reduces the risk of HIV transmission. As a result, it has been proposed that in high HIV prevalence areas, this drug regimen be offered routinely to all pregnant women and their infants, without the need for an HIV test. This is seen as a cost-effective alternative to trying to make voluntary HIV testing and counselling universally available to pregnant women, which would require improved antenatal uptake and care, high uptake of HIV testing and high rates of return to learn results before women could make decisions regarding ARV prophylaxis. The ethical dilemmas arising from both these options are currently under debate, against a backdrop of concerns about breastfeeding and breastmilk substitutes, what to do about the increasing numbers of AIDS orphans and how to prevent HIV transmission to women in the first place.     

Evaluation of an Emergency Prevention Program for Mother to Child Transmission of HIV in British Columbia

IntroductionThe objective of this study was to evaluate a provincewide program designed to identify HIV infection accurately and to prevent mother to child transmission among high-risk pregnant women of unknown serostatus.MethodsBetween 2000 and 2007, 347 high-risk women were identified through the Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission (PMTCT) program implemented in 27 hospitals across British Columbia. Rates of HIV transmission and details of the implementation of prophylaxis kits were assessed.ResultsOf the 346 high-risk mother-infant pairs identified and included in the provincial program, 35.4% of the mothers and 95.7% of infants received antiretroviral therapy for prevention of vertical transmission. Of 309 pairs who subsequently underwent HIV testing, five mothers were found to be HIV positive, an infection rate of 16.2/1000 in this cohort; the overall rate in BC is 0.68/1000 births. One of the five infants born to an HIV positive mother was infected with HIV.DiscussionThe program was successful in identifying a subgroup of pregnant women at increased risk of HIV infection; however, mother to child transmission occurred in one of five cases (20%). To reduce the risk of mother to child HIV transmission in BC to the lowest possible level, additional strategies such as increasing uptake of prenatal screening and point-of-care testing in labour and delivery may need to be explored.     

Preventing mother-to-child transmission of HIV in developing countries: Recent developments and ethnical implications

Various regimens of antiretroviral (ARV) therapy during pregnancy and labourhave been found to be effective in reducing the risk of mother-to-child transmission of HIV Cost and late identification of women with HIV infection d wring pregnancy in many developing countries have been the impetus to study inexpensive, short-course ARV regimens. Recently, it was shown that a single dose of nevirapine given orally once during labour to the mother and once to the infant greatly reduces the risk of HIV transmission. As a result, it has been proposed that in high HIV prevalence areas, this drug regimen be offered routinely to all pregnant women and their infants, without the need for an HIV test. This is seen as a cost-effective alternative to trying to make voluntary HIV testing and counselling universally available to pregnant women, which would require improved antenatal uptake and care, high uptake of HIV testing and high rates of return to learn results before women could make decisions regarding ARV prophylaxis. The ethical dilemmas arising from both these options are currently under debate, against a backdrop of concerns about breastfeeding and breastmilk substitutes, what to do about the increasing numbers of AIDS orphans and how to prevent HIV transmission to women in the first place.     

Transmission of human immunodeficiency virus by heterosexual contact with reference to antenatal screening

Twenty-seven women all of childbearing age, eight of whom were pregnant, were identified as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) antibody positive in the genitourinary medicine clinics of East Riverside up to March 1987. Of these 27 women 11 had acquired the virus by heterosexual contact. Between 1 March 1987 and 29 February 1988, all 1328 women attending the antenatal clinic were offered an HIV screening test, 982 accepted and the other 346 declined to be tested. Two of the 982 tested women were found to be HIV-1 antibody positive. Two other pregnant HIV-1-positive women were identified during this time, one was tested in the genitourinary medicine clinic and the other whilst an in-patient for drug withdrawal. All except one of the 12 HIV-1-antibody-positive pregnant women were in known high-risk groups. In addition up to March 1988, 32 heterosexual men were identified as HIV-1 antibody positive and 22 of these were intravenous drug abusers. If the present trend continues, more women will become infected, often unaware that they are at risk and this may not be detected unless HIV testing is offered to all pregnant women and widely accepted. Decisions on local policy should be based on the available estimates of prevalence of HIV infection in that community.     

HIV and Pregnancy: Mandatory Counselling,Not Mandatory Screening

Objective: to review the evidence in support of universal prenatal human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) counselling and screening, and to review current clinical guidelines and practice patterns.Methods: a Medline search was conducted and the relevant articles reviewed. The issues involved in offering HIV counselling and screening routinely to all pregnant women were explored.Results: clinical guidelines recommend that HIV counselling be offered to all pregnant women and that screening be voluntary and confidential. One evaluation of current practice patters in a Canadian academic centre indicated that few general practitioners counselled and offered screening to all their pregnant patients.Conclusion: in order for universal prenatal HIV counselling to become the standard of care in Canada, a national strategy needs to be implemented. This review supports the need for further evaluation of practice patterns among Canadian obstetricians, family physicians and midwives.     

Epidemiology of sexually transmitted diseases among pregnant adolescents

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine the epidemiology of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) among pregnant adolescents.Methods: Charts of all patients (n = 735) who attended the Maternal and Infant Care Clinic at University Hospital, Newark, NJ, between July 1, 1991, and June 30, 1992, were reviewed for STDs which included gonorrhea, chlamydia, syphilis, and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). At the first prenatal visit, each registrant had endocervical specimens obtained to detect gonorrhea and chlamydia. A serum sample was obtained for syphilis screening. HIV testing was made available to all patients and testing was done on a voluntary basis. The same STD screening that was done at the initial visit was repeated at 28 and 36 weeks.Results: Twenty-five percent of patients tested positive for one or more STDs. The mean patient age was 17.3 years. The mean gestational age at first visit was 19.5 weeks. The mean number of visits was 7.3. The following STDs were identified: 4.8% of patients tested positive for gonorrhea, 20.9% tested positive for chlamydia, and 1.7% tested positive for syphilis. Twenty-one percent of patients had a positive STD diagnosed at the initial visit. Another 4.8% of patients had an STD diagnosed at some time after the initial visit when the initial screen was negative for STDs. An additional 1% of patients who initially tested positive for an STD had subsequent screening which revealed another STD (different organism). Seven patients tested HIV positive. Sixty-one percent of patients with STDs agreed to HIV testing. One patient had HIV coexistent with another STD.Conclusions: Pregnant adolescents are at risk for multiple STDs. HIV testing should be offered. STD screening should be repeated in the third trimester in adolescent patients.     

Transmission of human immunodeficiency virus by heterosexual contact with reference to antenatal screening

Summary. Twenty-seven women all of childbearing age, eight of whom were pregnant, were identified as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) antibody positive in the genitourinary medicine clinics of East Riverside up to March 1987. Of these 27 women 11 had acquired the virus by heterosexual contact. Between 1 March 1987 and 29 February 1988, all 1328 women attending the antenatal clinic were offered an HIV screening test, 982 accepted and the other 346 declined to be tested. Two of the 982 tested women were found to be HIV-1 antibody positive. Two other pregnant HIV-1-positive women were identified during this time, one was tested in the genitourinary medicine clinic and the other whilst an in-patient for drug withdrawal. All except one of the 12 HIV-1-antibody-positive pregnant women were in known high-risk groups. In addition up to March 1988, 32 heterosexual men were identified as HIV-1 antibody positive and 22 of these were intravenous drug abusers. If the present trend continues, more women will become infected, often unaware that they are at risk and this may not be detected unless HIV testing is offered to all pregnant women and widely accepted. Decisions on local policy should be based on the available estimates of prevalence of HIV infection in that community.     

Birth attendants trained in "Prevention of Mother-To-Child HIV Transmission" provide care in rural Cameroon, Africa

Since 1984, Cameroon Baptist Convention Health Board's Life Abundant Primary health care program has established primary health centers in remote villages and trained literate women in these villages as birth attendants to offer antenatal care, low-risk delivery, and triage of high-risk mothers to larger health facilities. In 2002, the birth attendants were trained to provide Prevention of Maternal-to-Child HIV Transmission (PMTCT) services, including counseling, voluntary testing, performing oral rapid HIV tests (OraQuick; OraSure Technologies, Inc., Bethlehem, PA), posttest counseling, and administering single-dose nevirapine to HIV-positive women, to be taken in labor, and to their newborns. Ongoing supervision is provided by nurse supervisors. Between July 2002 and June 2005, 30 PMTCT-trained birth attendants in 20 villages counseled 2331 pregnant women and tested 2310 (99.1%) for HIV. Eighty-two women had a positive OraQuick HIV test (3.5%). Forty-two of these mothers were delivered by the trained birth attendants, with 88.1% of mothers and 85.7% of newborns receiving single-dose nevirapine prophylaxis. Nevirapine-treated babies were tested after 15 months of age, and two of 13 HIV-exposed infants had a positive rapid HIV antibody test (15.3% transmission rate with treatment). Program challenges include: maintaining adequate supplies of HIV tests kits and medications, supervising and supporting the PMCT-trained birth attendants on a regular basis, and achieving exclusive breastfeeding and early weaning.     

Paris cooperative study on HIV sero-positivity in pregnancy: preliminary results

Researchers tested the sera of 10,277 pregnant women who visited 9 prenatal clinics in Paris, France or its environs between February 17, 1987 - August, 17, 1987. The women also completed a questionnaire about risk factors. Laboratory personnel tested for HIV using and ELISA technique, and referred positive sera for further screening to a virology laboratory in Tours. Researchers already knew that 43 cases were HIV positive, 26 of whom had an induced abortion and 17 chose to continue the pregnancy. 30 patients tested positive who did not know they carried HIV: 8 in the abortion group; 19 in the pregnancy group; 1 in the miscarriage group; and 1 in the ectopic pregnancy group. The overall HIV prevalence rate was 7.1/1000. The researchers further defined the prevalence rate by taking only into account the discovered HIV positive patients, since the others were already known and included in HIV statistics. In the induced abortion group, the prevalence rate was 6.42% and in the pregnancy group 2.18%. The leading mode of transmission for the 73 HIV positive women was intravenous (IV) drug use, followed by being from an endemic country. By comparing HIV testing results and the questionnaires of the discovered HIV positive women, researchers would have selected 93% of these women. On the other hand, 35.8% of all the patients responded positively to at least 1 item. This shows that it is difficult to develop an adequate questionnaire and select an appropriate sample size. The researchers hope to improve the specificity of the questionnaire, in order to reduce the number of patients to be screened for HIV.     

Mandatory prenatal screening for the human immunodeficiency virus: the experience in south-eastern France of a national policy, 1992–1994

Objective To evaluate the impact of the 1993 French National Policy which made it mandatory to offer screening for the presence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) to all pregnant women who planned to give birth, although women remained free to refuse the test.
Design Successive surveys in April 1992 and May 1994 in south-eastern France. Logistic regressions were performed to identify factors which affected access to HIV testing for women who gave birth and those who terminated their pregnancy, and for each year of study.
Main outcome measures Attitudes and access to HIV testing among pregnant women, irrespective of pregnancy outcome.
Setting All obstetrics and gynaecology departments and abortion clinics in the region.
Population 3497 women in 1992 (2775 who were delivered and 722 who chose termination) and 3407 in 1994 (2701 who were delivered and 766 who chose termination). The response rates were 82% and 88%, respectively.
Results In 1994 of women who were delivered, 73% had an HIV test, compared with 63% in 1992 (   P < 0.001  ); however of women who terminated their pregnancy, only 28% had an HIV test, compared with 245% in 1992 ( P not significant), although they were more at risk for HIV infection. Socioeconomic differences affecting access to testing were reduced between 1992 and 1994, but only among women who gave birth.
Conclusion Introduction of a policy which makes it mandatory to offer HIV screening to all women who intended to have their baby improved access to screening but did not improve the rate of preventative counselling. A mandatory requirement to offer HIV screening should be extended to women who request termination of pregnancy.     

Cervical dysplasia in HIV infected women in Maiduguri, Nigeria.

The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection has been shown to be a risk factor for premalignant and malignant conditions of the cervix. Patients attending the gynaecological clinic of the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital received voluntary counselling and testing (VCT) for HIV. All patients who were screened for HIV also had their pap smear taken. Cervical dysplasia was significantly commoner among HIV infected women than those that were HIV negative (31.3% vs 7.8%, respectively). The incidence of cervical dysplasia was also proportional to the degree of immunosuppression as women with low CD4 count had higher incidence of cervical dysplasia. The population studied was generally promiscuous irrespective of their HIV status, with over 90% of them having multiple sexual partners. It is recommended that health education in this population should be aimed at discouraging multiple sexual partners. Gynaecologists should be co-care providers to all HIV+ women in view of the menace of cervical dysplasia.     

Prevention of Parent to Child Transmission of HIV (PPTCT): An Effort of 4 Years in a Tertiary Centre

Objective

The aim of this study was to see the fetomaternal outcome of pregnancy in HIV positive mother.

Methods

This study was conducted in the department of OBGYN Medical College Kolkata from 1st January 2004 to 31st December 2007, a period of 4 years since the establishment of PPTCT centre in our institution. All the pregnant women attending the antenatal clinic for consultation and those coming directly to labour room for delivery (unbooked cases) were counseled for HIV testing, informed consent was obtained and blood samples collected for HIV testing. Babies of HIV positive women delivered were followed up to 18 months for testing.

Results

The no. of women detected positive were 28, 53, 69 and 98 (total 248) in the consecutive years. Therefore the seroprevalence of HIV was 0.41, 0.63, 0.67 and 0.76% in 2004, 2005, 2006 and 2007 respectively. Out of 248 women who were detected positive in the 3 years, only 103 (41.53%) delivered in our institution. 32 (12.90%) underwent MTP. But unfortunately 113 (i.e. 248 − (103 + 32) = 113) were lost to follow up during antenatal care. Out of the 95 live births, only 46 babies have been tested so far out of which only one is reactive, 45 are non reactive.

Conclusion

The main obstacle we faced was in following up the mother and the baby. To achieve a high success rate, PPTCT programmes must have well-trained, supportive staff who take great care to ensure confidentiality. They must be backed up by effective HIV testing and counseling programmes and by good quality HIV/AIDS education, which is essential to eliminate myths and misunderstandings among pregnant women, and to counter stigma and discrimination in the wider community.