Pregnant women stand higher risk of acquiring HIV
Mar 17, 2010
<b>Grain of science</b><br>Women are becoming infected with HIV during pregnancy at very high rates, a study in Kenya has revealed. Researchers at the 17th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) in San Francisco, suggested that care providers should repeat testing prior to d
Grain of science
Women are becoming infected with HIV during pregnancy at very high rates, a study in Kenya has revealed. Researchers at the 17th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) in San Francisco, suggested that care providers should repeat testing prior to delivery, or at the earliest possible opportunity after birth, in order to reduce mother-to-child transmission.
Mothers at six health clinics in Nairobi and Western Kenya, who tested negative before giving birth, were retested six weeks after giving birth and found HIV positive. The evidence suggests that there is a high incidence of HIV infection during pregnancy and the immediate period after having given birth. In Western Kenya, HIV prevalence rate is 15%, over twice the national rate.
Women who attend Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission (PMTCT) programmes were studied. Of the 2,035 women (95.3%) who had tested negative before giving birth and were re-tested, 53 (2.6%) tested positive. The possibility for acquiring HIV increased significantly (19.6% versus 6.7%) in women in polygamous relationships.
Dr. John Kinuthia of Kenyatta National Hospital, said PMTCT interventions need to address HIV- negative and positive women and should not assume that because a woman tests HIV-negative, no risk of HIV transmission exists.
Women are becoming infected with HIV during pregnancy at very high rates, a study in Kenya has revealed. Researchers at the 17th Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) in San Francisco, suggested that care providers should repeat testing prior to delivery, or at the earliest possible opportunity after birth, in order to reduce mother-to-child transmission.
Mothers at six health clinics in Nairobi and Western Kenya, who tested negative before giving birth, were retested six weeks after giving birth and found HIV positive. The evidence suggests that there is a high incidence of HIV infection during pregnancy and the immediate period after having given birth. In Western Kenya, HIV prevalence rate is 15%, over twice the national rate.
Women who attend Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission (PMTCT) programmes were studied. Of the 2,035 women (95.3%) who had tested negative before giving birth and were re-tested, 53 (2.6%) tested positive. The possibility for acquiring HIV increased significantly (19.6% versus 6.7%) in women in polygamous relationships.
Dr. John Kinuthia of Kenyatta National Hospital, said PMTCT interventions need to address HIV- negative and positive women and should not assume that because a woman tests HIV-negative, no risk of HIV transmission exists.