Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2018 Aug 9;13(8):e0201886.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0201886. eCollection 2018.

HIV testing during pregnancy for prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV in Ethiopia

Yohannes Ejigu  1   2 , Biniyam Tadesse  1   2
Affiliations

HIV testing during pregnancy for prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV in Ethiopia

Yohannes Ejigu et al. PLoS One. .

Abstract

Introduction: HIV testing during pregnancy provides an entry point to prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV and to access treatment for HIV positive women. The study aimed to assess the uptake of HIV testing during pregnancy and associated factors among Ethiopian women.

Methods: We analyzed the 2016 Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey dataset. Women who gave birth within one year prior to the survey were included in the analysis. Uptake of HIV testing during pregnancy is defined as receiving HIV testing service during pregnancy and/or at the time of delivery and knew the test results. Adjusted odds ratios (AORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were calculated by using step-wise backward logistic regression analyses to identify factors associated with HIV testing during pregnancy.

Results: A total of 2114 women who were pregnant in the last one year prior to the survey were included in the analysis. Of these, only 35.1% were tested for HIV and received the test results during pregnancy. About one third of women who had antenatal care follow-up missed the opportunity to be tested for HIV. Compared to women who had no formal education, those who had primary level education (AOR = 1.55; 95% CI: 1.12-2.15), secondary level education (AOR = 2.56 95%CI: 1.36-3.82), or higher education (AOR = 3.95, 95%CI: 1.31-11.95) were more likely to be tested for HIV during pregnancy. Similarly, having awareness about mother-to-child transmission of HIV (AOR = 2.03, 95%CI: 1.48-2.78), and living in urban areas (AOR = 3.30, 95%CI: 1.39-7.85) were positively and independently associated with uptake of HIV during pregnancy. Women who have stigmatizing attitude towards HIV positive people were less likely to be tested for HIV (AOR = 0.57, 95%CI: 0.40-0.79).

Conclusion: Uptake of HIV testing during pregnancy is low. Missed opportunity among women who had antenatal care visits was very high. Integrating HIV testing with antenatal care services, improving HIV testing service quality and access are essential to increase uptake of HIV testing during pregnancy and reach the goal of eliminating MTCT.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1. Uptake of ANC, HIV counseling and testing services.
ANC: antenatal care. PMTCT: prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV. All percentages are calculated from the total number of women. Ever been tested for HIV in their life time include HIV testing during last pregnancy.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. UNAIDS. AIDS by the Numbers [Internet]. 2016 [cited October 2017]. Available from: http://www.unaids.org/sites/default/files/media_asset/AIDS-by-the-number....
    1. WHO. Antiretroviral drugs for treating pregnant women and preventing HIV infection in infants in resource-limited settings; Towards universal access. Recommendations for a public health approach [Internet]. 2006 [cited May 2018]. Available from: www.who.int/hiv/pub/mtct/antiretroviral/en.
    1. Connor EM, Sperling RS, Gelber R, Kiselev P, Scott G, O'Sullivan MJ, et al. Reduction of maternal-infant transmission of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 with zidovudine treatment. Pediatric AIDS Clinical Trials Group Protocol 076 Study Group. The New England journal of medicine. 1994;331(18):1173–80. 10.1056/NEJM199411033311801 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Fowler MG, Qin M, Fiscus SA, Currier JS, Flynn PM, Chipato T, et al. Benefits and Risks of Antiretroviral Therapy for Perinatal HIV Prevention. N Engl J Med. 2016;375(18):1726–37. 10.1056/NEJMoa1511691 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Gartland MG, Chintu NT, Li MS, Lembalemba MK, Mulenga SN, Bweupe M, et al. Field effectiveness of combination antiretroviral prophylaxis for the prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission in rural Zambia. Aids. 2013;27(8):1253–62. 10.1097/QAD.0b013e32835e3937 - DOI - PMC - PubMed

MeSH terms