Mother-To-Child Transmission Of Hiv At The University Of Benin Teaching Hospital, Benin City, Nigeria

Abstract

Introduction: A variety of drugs including single dose (SD) nevirapine, zidovudine and its combination, given to mother in pregnancy and baby postnatally have been used to reduce mother-to-child HIV transmission rate. The experience at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH), using highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) is reported.
Methods: A total of 317 Mothers/ babies pairs recruited at the Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission (PMTCT) programme of UBTH who had HAART, were recruited for the study. HIV status of the infants was determined by deoxyribonucleic acid polymerase chain reaction (DNA PCR).
Results: Of the 285 mothers/ infants pairs who adhered to our protocol, the transmission rate was 2.46 %. The babies who had mixed feeding had significantly higher rates than those who were exclusively breast-fed or had replacement feeding. P = <0.0001.
Conclusion: In conclusion, the very low mother to child transmission rate in our study can be attributed to the efficacy of HAART regimen.


Keywords: Mother to child, HIV, Transmission, HAART

Sahel Medical Journal Vol. 11 (4) 2008: pp. 118-124