Seroprevalence and pattern of HIV infection in pregnancy at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital

Abstract

Background: There were 38.4 million persons infected with HIV in the world by the end of 2021 according to WHO. HIV infection in pregnancy is an important public health issue as it has serious medical, social and economic consequences. In Nigeria sero-prevalence rates in pregnant women varied from 1.8% in 1991 to 5.8% in 2001, this was followed by a slow decline to 5% in 2003, 4.1% in 2010 and further to 3% in 2014. Data in pattern of HIV prevalence remains a critical source to inform trends in generalized epidemics in developing countries. Methods: Data of pregnant women who had HIV test as part of antenatal care at UPTH between October 2019 to September 2021 were prospectively recorded and analyzed to determine the period HIV prevalence and trends.Results: A total of 1695 women attended antenatal within said period. Eighty nine (89) women of the total population tested positive to HIV. The seroprevalence of HIV among these pregnant women was 5.25%. They were 53 (59.55%) new HIV diagnoses.Conclusion: There is a decline in the antibody seroprevalence of HIV infection among pregnant women attending Antenatal clinic at UPTH.