HIV is still a major public health problem among pregnant women attending ANC in Referral Hospitals of the Amhara Regional State, Ethiopia: a cross sectional study

Abstract

Background The burden of HIV is disproportionately higher among women of reproductive age contributing more than half of the global share. The situation in Ethiopia is not exceptional. The present study was done to determine the proportion of HIV among pregnant women in Amhara Regional State, Ethiopia. Method Institutions-based cross-sectional study was conducted from October 2020 to December 2020. Systematic random sampling technique was used to select 538 study participants from pregnant women who had ANC follow-up in Referral Hospitals of the Amhara Regional State. Data on socio-demographic, clinical, obstetric, behavioral as well as psychosocial characteristics were gathered using an interviewer administered structured and standardized instruments. The data was entered into Epi-Data Manager V4.6.0.0 and exported to STATA version 14 for data analyses. Descriptive statics were computed to summarize the participant’s characteristics. Bi-variable and multivariable logistic regression analyses were conducted to identify the association between dependent and independent variables. Independent variables with a p-value of less than 0.05 were considered to be statistically significant at 95% confidence level (CI). Results The proportion of HIV infection among pregnant women was 8.68% (95% CI: 6.5, 11.4). Completing secondary school education (Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR = 0.15; 95% CI: 0.04—0.53), graduated from college (AOR = 0.03; 95% CI: 0.01—0.22), and family monthly income greater than 8001 ETB (1 USD = 56 ETB) (AOR = 0.19; 95% CI: 0.04—0.87) were protective factors associated with maternal HIV. On the other hand, history of previous abortion (AOR = 7.73; 95% CI: 3.33—17.95) and positive syphilis status (AOR = 10.28; 95% CI: 2.80—37.62) were risk factors associated with maternal HIV status. Conclusion The proportion of HIV infection among pregnant women was found to be high. Advanced level of education, relatively higher monthly income, history of abortion and previous syphilis status were associated factors with HIV status. Strengthening women's formal education; empowering women in all spheres of life (especially improving their economic standing that prevents women from engaging in risky sexual practices); educating women about HIV transmission methods and HIV prevention and control strategies using behavior change intervention strategy prepared for women to reduce their vulnerability; advocating for the use of family planning to reduce unsafe abortions and syphilis; as well as regular screening and testing for syphilis are recommended.

Determining the rate of mother-to-child human immunodeficiency virus transmission among pregnant women in An Giang province

“…Particularly, pregnant women with HIV (accounting for about 18% of those infected) are a primary concern in the province's HIV prevention campaign due to the substantial risk of transmitting HIV to future generations if the province does not implement any action programs to combat this dangerous epidemic. 11,12 We chose the year 2010 to investigate the rate of pregnant women infected with HIV because in 2010, the entire An Giang province implemented comprehensive HIV counseling and testing, and voluntary HIV testing for all pregnant women coming for prenatal check-ups and childbirth. We found that the rate of pregnant women infected with HIV in An Giang province was 0.29%.…”

A mixed-method study examined the reasons why pregnant women late initiate antenatal care in Northeast Ethiopia

“…The quantitative approach of this study also revealed that pregnant women with a history of known chronic illness were 57.1% less likely to initiate ANC visit early than their counterparts, which is not in line with any previous undertaking. Appreciating the fact that more than 12% of those pregnant women were patients leaving with HIV who did not want to disclose their status, for which they took, even, their medication from other distant ART sites; they may not early present themselves to the nearby health facilities, where they think their status will no longer be confidential [ 16 ].…”

Clinical Analysis and Applications of mRNA Vaccines in Infectious Diseases and Cancer Treatment

“…This technique stimulates a broader repository of T cells compared to peptide-antigen-loaded DCs, generating T cells specific to known and unidentified TAA epitopes presented by different HLA types. Generic stimulation of T cells potentially benefits larger patient populations, making DC therapy an effective procedure for mRNA transfection, either in vivo or ex vivo [ 66 ].…”