%0 Journal Article
%T Mother-to-child transmission of HIV: the pre-rapid advice experience of the university of Nigeria teaching hospital Ituku/Ozalla, Enugu, South-east Nigeria
%A Ngozi S Ibeziako
%A Agozie C Ubesie
%A Ifeoma J Emodi
%A Adaeze C Ayuk
%A Kene K Iloh
%A Anthony N Ikefuna
%J BMC Research Notes
%D 2012
%I BioMed Central
%R 10.1186/1756-0500-5-305
%X A retrospective study, involving HIV exposed infants seen at the pediatric HIV clinic of UNTH between March 2006 and September 2008. Relevant data were retrieved from their medical records. The overall rate of mother to child transmission of HIV in this study was 3.9% (95% CI 1.1%- 6.7%). However, in children breastfed for 3£¿months or less, the rate of transmission was 10% (95% CI £¿2.5%-22.5%), compared to 3.5% (95% CI 0.5%-6.5%) in children that had exclusive replacement feeding.This retrospective observational study shows a 3.9% cumulative rate of mother-to-child transmission of HIV by 18£¿months of age in Enugu. Holistic but cost effective preventive interventions help in reducing the rate of mother-to-child transmission of HIV even in economically-developing settings like Nigeria.The first documented case of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) in Nigeria was in 1986 in a 13£¿year old child in Calabar, Cross River State [1]. Since then, children have continued to remain vulnerable to this epidemic in Nigeria. Children can be infected with the virus through mother-to-child transmission (MTCT), blood transfusion, unprotected sex and through the use of non-sterile sharp objects [1,2]. MTCT is the most common route and is responsible for as much as 70 to 95% [3-6] of the infection in the pediatric age group. The next most common route of HIV transmission in children living in economically-developing countries is blood transfusion.[7,8]. This route accounts for about 5 to 20% of pediatric AIDS [3,4].MTCT can occur in utero, during labor and delivery, and postnatally through breastfeeding. A number of risk factors for MTCT of HIV have been documented. The risk factors associated with transmission during labor are prolonged rupture of uterine membrane for more than 4 hours, prolonged labor, mixing of maternal and fetal blood which happens more with tears and episiotomies [5,9]. The risk factors associated with transmission post-natally are breastfeeding and mixed f
%K HIV
%K Mother-to-child transmission
%K Risk factors
%U http://www.biomedcentral.com/1756-0500/5/305