Prevalence of maternal HIV infection and knowledge on mother–to–child transmission of HIV and its prevention among antenatal care attendees in a rural area in northwest Cameroon

BackgroundIn 2010, an estimated 141 new HIV infections occurred per day in Cameroon and reports suggest an upsurge of these rates by 2020 if current trends continue. Mother—to—child transmission (MTCT) of HIV is a major public health challenge, and maternal knowledge on HIV transmission during pregnancy and its prevention is important in curtailing paediatric HIV acquisition.ObjectivesWe aimed at establishing the prevalence of maternal HIV infection as well as assessing knowledge on HIV, MTCT and prevention of MTCT (PMTCT) of HIV among pregnant women in a rural area of Cameroon.MethodsThis study was conducted in two phases: a 29 month retrospective analysis of 1866 deliveries within three rural health facilities in the Babessi sub—division, Northwest Cameroon and a 1 month prospective phase wherein 150 consenting pregnant women attending antenatal care (ANC) at the study centres were consecutively recruited.ResultsOverall, the prevalence of maternal HIV infection was 5.0% (100/2016). All (100%) of the interviewed pregnant women were aware of HIV infection and most (76.7%) had adequate knowledge on its routes of transmission. Meanwhile, only 79.3% (119/150) of them were aware of MTCT with slightly above a third (37.0%) having adequate knowledge on the periods of transmission. The proportions of women correctly stating: during pregnancy, during labour/delivery and during breastfeeding as possible periods of MTCT of HIV were 63.0%, 60.5% and 89.1% respectively. A majority (76.3%) of these women had inadequate knowledge on PMTCT of HIV.ConclusionThe overall prevalence of maternal HIV warrants strengthening of current intervention strategies including scaling—up of PMTCT measures. Among others, intensification of HIV—related ANC services to improve the pregnant women’s awareness and knowledge on MTCT and its prevention are vital steps in curbing the growing burden of paediatric HIV.研究背景 2010年，喀麦隆每日估计新增人类免疫缺陷病毒（Human Immunodeficiency Virus, HIV）感染141例；有报告显示，若当前趋势持续，至2020年该感染率将出现攀升。人类免疫缺陷病毒母婴传播（Mother-to-Child Transmission, MTCT）是一项重大公共卫生挑战，而孕产妇对妊娠期HIV传播及其预防措施的认知，对遏制儿童HIV感染至关重要。 研究目的 本研究旨在明确喀麦隆某农村地区孕产妇HIV感染的流行率，并评估该地区孕妇对HIV、HIV母婴传播（MTCT）以及HIV母婴传播预防（Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission, PMTCT）的认知水平。 研究方法 本研究分为两个阶段：第一阶段为回顾性分析，对喀麦隆西北部巴贝西分区3所农村医疗机构的1866例分娩病例开展了为期29个月的回顾性研究；第二阶段为前瞻性研究，为期1个月，连续招募了150名在研究中心接受产前保健（Antenatal Care, ANC）且签署知情同意书的孕妇。 研究结果 总体而言，孕产妇HIV感染流行率为5.0%（100/2016）。所有接受访谈的孕妇均知晓HIV感染，其中76.7%的孕妇对HIV传播途径具备充分认知。然而，仅79.3%（119/150）的孕妇知晓HIV母婴传播，仅约三分之一强（37.0%）的孕妇对HIV母婴传播的发生时段具备充分认知。能够正确指出HIV母婴传播可能发生于妊娠期、分娩期及哺乳期的孕妇比例分别为63.0%、60.5%及89.1%。绝大多数（76.3%）孕妇对HIV母婴传播预防（PMTCT）的认知不足。 研究结论 本次研究检出的孕产妇HIV总体流行率表明，需强化当前的干预策略，包括扩大HIV母婴传播预防（PMTCT）措施的覆盖范围。此外，加强与HIV相关的产前保健服务，以提升孕妇对HIV母婴传播及其预防措施的认知水平，是遏制儿童HIV感染负担持续上升的关键举措。