Achievements and Challenges in the Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission of HIV—A Retrospective Cohort Study from a Rural Hospital in Northern Tanzania

Sunniva Marie Nydal, Yuda Munyaw, Johan N. Bruun and Arne Broch Brantsæter
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Sunniva Marie Nydal: Institute of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1171, Blindern, 0318 Oslo, Norway
Yuda Munyaw: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Haydom Lutheran Hospital, P.O. Box 9000, Haydom, Mbulu Manyara, Tanzania
Johan N. Bruun: Institute of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1171, Blindern, 0318 Oslo, Norway
Arne Broch Brantsæter: Department of Infectious Diseases, Ullevål Hospital, Oslo University Hospital, P.O. Box 4956, Nydalen, 0424 Oslo, Norway

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 5, 1-14

Abstract: Despite the goal of eliminating new human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections in children, mother-to-child transmission is still common in resource-poor countries. The aims of this study were to assess the occurrence of mother-to-child transmission of HIV (MTCT) by age 18 months, risk factors for transmission, and the implementation of the national prevention of MTCT (PMTCT) program in a rural hospital in Tanzania. Data were collated from various medical registers and records. We included 172 children and 167 HIV-infected mothers. Among 88 children (51%) with adequate information, 9 (10.2%) were infected. Increased risk of MTCT was associated with late testing of the child (>2 months) [OR = 9.5 (95% CI: 1.8–49.4)], absence of antiretroviral therapy during pregnancy [OR = 9.7 (95% CI: 2.1–46.1)], and maternal CD4 cell count <200 cells/mm 3 [OR = 15.3 (95% CI: 2.1–111)]. We were unable to determine the occurrence of MTCT transmission in 84 children (49%). The results from this study highlight that there is an urgent need for enhanced efforts to improve follow-up of HIV-exposed children, to improve documentation in registries and records, and to facilitate ease of linkage between these.

Keywords: prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT); HIV-exposed infants; pregnancy; antiretroviral therapy; Tanzania (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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