HIV infection among children and adolescents in Burundi, Cameroon, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Evidence demonstrates a substantial HIV epidemic among children and adolescents in countries with long-standing generalized HIV epidemics, where availability of prevention of mother-to-child transmission services has historically been limited. The objective of this research was to explore factors associated with antiretroviral therapy (ART) initiation and morbidity among HIV-infected surviving children 2-17 years of age attending HIV programs in Central Africa. Programmatic data from 404 children attending HIV programs in Burundi, Cameroon, and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) were included in our evaluation. Children were followed prospectively from 2008 to 2011 according to each clinic's standard of care. Diagnosis at a reference hospital was significantly associated with not having initiated ART (adjusted odds ratio, AOR = 0.40; 95% confidence interval, CI, 0.24-0.67). Being seen at a clinic in Cameroon (AOR = 0.45; 95%CI = 0.24-0.85) and being in school were associated with decreased risk (AOR = 0.55; 95%CI = 0.31-0.96). Being ART-naïve (AOR = 1.88; 95%CI = 1.20-2.94) and being diagnosed at a reference hospital (AOR = 2.39; 95%CI = 1.29-4.41) or other testing facility (AOR = 2.86; 95%CI = 1.32-6.18) were associated with increased risk of having a morbid event at the initial visit. In longitudinal analysis of incident morbidity, we found a decreased risk associated with attending clinics in Cameroon (adjusted hazard ratio, AHR = 0.23; 95%CI = 0.11-0.46) and the DRC (AHR = 0.46; 95%CI = 0.29-0.74), and an increased risk associated with being ART-naïve (AHR = 1.83; 95%CI = 1.12-2.97). We found a high burden of HIV-related health problems among children receiving care in this setting. Children face significant barriers to accessing HIV services, and the HIV epidemic among surviving children in the Central African region has not been adequately evaluated nor addressed.

Consanguinity, prematurity, birth weight and pregnancy loss: a prospective cohort study at four primary health center areas of Karnataka, India.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether consanguinity adversely influences pregnancy outcome in South India, where consanguinity is a common means of family property retention. STUDY DESIGN: Data were collected from a prospective cohort of 647 consenting women, consecutively registered for antenatal care between 14 and 18 weeks gestation, in Belgaum district, Karnataka in 2005. Three-generation pedigree charts were drawn for consanguineous participants. χ (2)-Test and Student's t-test were used to assess categorical and continuous data, respectively, using SPSS version 14. Multivariate logistic regression adjusted for confounding variables. RESULT: Overall, 24.1% of 601 women with singleton births and outcome data were consanguineous. Demographic characteristics between study groups were similar. Non-consanguineous couples had fewer stillbirths (2.6 vs 6.9% P=0.017; adjusted P=0.050), miscarriages (1.8 vs 4.1%, P=0.097; adjusted P=0.052) and lower incidence of birth weight <2500 g (21.8 vs 29.5%, P=0.071, adjusted P=0.044). Gestation <37 weeks was 6.2% in both the groups. Adjusted for consanguinity and other potential confounders, age <20 years was protective of stillbirth (P=0.01), pregnancy loss (P=0.023) and preterm birth (P=0.013), whereas smoking (P=0.015) and poverty (P=0.003) were associated with higher rates of low birth weight. CONCLUSION: Consanguinity significantly increases pregnancy loss and birth weight <2500 g.

Comparison of HIV-positive women with children and without children accessing HIV care and treatment in the IeDEA Central Africa cohort.

Globally, women comprise half of all people living with HIV, but in sub-Saharan Africa, women are disproportionately affected. Data were obtained from 8419 HIV-infected women at enrollment into 10 HIV treatment programs in Cameroon, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo as part of the Central Africa region of the International Epidemiological Database to Evaluate AIDS. We used chi-squared tests to determine if distributions between women with children differed from those without children, in regards to socio-demographic, behavioral and clinical characteristics. Logistic regression was used to determine if motherhood was associated with medication adherence. Of 8419 women, 81.7% had living children. The majority entered care through voluntary testing, and very few entered care through prevention of mother-to-child transmission programs. Women with children were older and more likely to be widowed, more likely to have no formal education and less likely to have attended university than those without children (p<0.05). Women without children were more likely to live in a home with electricity and potable water (p<0.05). There was no difference in adherence between these groups. However, women older than 50 years, those who reported no drug, tobacco, or alcohol use, and those with higher levels of formal education were more likely to report adherence along with those who had been on treatment for more than two years (p<0.05). As women account for a substantial proportion of HIV cases in sub-Saharan Africa, a broader understanding of their characteristics will inform testing, treatment, and support services. Though we did not find differences in adherence between women with children and those without children, we were able to identify other characteristics that may affect adherence. Further inquiry into the nuances of women living with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa is necessary to further understand their needs.

Low prevalence of HIV and other selected sexually transmitted infections in 2004 in pregnant women from Kinshasa, the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

This study examined the prevalence of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in pregnant women in Kinshasa, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Between April and July 2004, antenatal attendees at two of the largest maternity clinics in Kinshasa were tested to identify HIV status, syphilis, Chlamydia trachomatis (CT) and Neisseria gonorrhoeae (NG). HIV seroprevalence was 1.9% in 2082 women. With PCR techniques, CT and NG infections were also uncommon in the first 529 women (1.7% and 0.4%, respectively). No active syphilis infection case was identified by Treponema pallidum haemagglutination assay (TPHA) and rapid plasma reagin test (RPR). A woman's risk of HIV infection was significantly associated with her reporting a male partner having had other female sexual partners (OR 2.7, 95% CI 1.2-6.2). The continuing low seroprevalence of HIV in pregnant women from Kinshasa was confirmed. Understanding factors associated with this phenomenon could help prevent a future HIV epidemic in low HIV transmission areas in Africa.