Socio - demographic characteristics of HIV patients diagnosed at immunization centres in Calabar, South – south, Calabar, Nigeria

Abstract

Introduction: The World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that 3.2 million children were living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) at the end of 2013, mostly in sub- Saharan Africa. Socio- economic and demographic factors do not only affect viral transmission but also the success of preventive strategies and treatment. Objective: To determine the socio -demographic characteristics of mothers, and the relationship be- tween maternal and HIV status of their infants attending immuniza- tion clinics in Calabar. Methods: Using multistage sam- pling method, 330 subjects were enrolled and screened from 63 immunization centres. The socio- demographic characteristic of each infant’s mother was documented. The results of Rapid test for mothers and Dried Blood Spots (DBS) results for infants were compared. Results: Of the 330 subjects recruited, 173 (52.4%) were males while 157(47.6%) were females. Mean age of the infants was 9.20 ± 3.1 weeks. Twenty four mothers and infants tested positive for HIV antibodies. After confirmatory tests using HIV Deoxyribosenucleic acid (DNA PCR), 14(58.3%) out of 24 antibody seropositive infants were infected. The trans-mission rate after confirmation was 58.3%. Conclusion: Parental education, social class and low maternal Anti- retroviral drug (ARV) use were responsible for transmission. It is therefore recommended that health education on ARV use during an- tenatal period and HIV status of mother baby pair be done at immu- nization centres. HIV positive mothers and babies should be promptly referred for therapy.