Prevalence of Human Immunodeficiency Virus/Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (HIV/AIDS) among Pregnant Women Attending Antenatal Clinic in a Rural Community in Edo State, Nigeria

Abstract

HIV in pregnancy is a major problem in antenatal women in Nigeria especially those in the rural areas. The prevalence of HIV/AIDS  among pregnant women attending antenatal clinic (ANC) in a rural area was studied; and the immunological status of those on  antiretroviral therapy (ART) against those not on therapy was determined. One hundred and Twenty antenatal women aged between 12  and 53 years were screened after pre-test counseling. Questionnaires were administered to all screened pregnant women. The  Determine and uni-Gold test kits were used for the HIV screening; while the CD4 count and full blood count analyses were done with a  partec flow cytometer and sysmex automated instrument respectively. This study revealed a prevalence rate of 14.2%, of which 9.2% were  already known cases on ART while 5% were newly detected cases that were not on ART. The findings of this study show that the  prevalence of HIV /AIDS among pregnant women attending antenatal clinics in this rural community is high due to their low level of  awareness of this disease. The study suggested that early initiation of ART will go a long way in reducing the burden of HIV in  pregnancyand by extension, minimize the incidence of mother-to-child transmission.