Assuntos
Ferimentos Penetrantes Produzidos por Agulha/epidemiologia , Traumatismos Ocupacionais/epidemiologia , Recursos Humanos em Hospital/estatística & dados numéricos , Patógenos Transmitidos pelo Sangue , Humanos , Índia/epidemiologia , Ferimentos Penetrantes Produzidos por Agulha/etiologia , Traumatismos Ocupacionais/etiologia , Profilaxia Pós-Exposição , Centros de Atenção TerciáriaRESUMO
BACKGROUND: Despite increasing availability of HIV-1 testing, education, and methods to prevent transmission, Indian women and their children remain at risk of acquiring HIV. We assessed the seroprevalence and awareness about HIV among pregnant women presenting to a private tertiary care hospital in South India. METHODS: Seroprevalence was determined via enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) testing, and questionnaires were analyzed using chi-square statistics and odds ratios to look for factors associated with HIV positivity. RESULTS: A total of 7956 women who presented for antenatal care were interviewed. Fifty-one women of the 7235 women who underwent HIV testing (0.7%) were found to be HIV positive. Awareness of mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of HIV (64%), HIV transmission through breast milk (42%), and prevention of MTCT (13%) was low. CONCLUSIONS: There is a need to educate South Indian women about HIV to give them information and the means to protect themselves and their unborn children from acquiring HIV.