ABSTRACT
Aims: The prevalence of syphilis has been reported to be on the increase worldwide as a result of the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Maternal syphilis puts the fetus at risk of congenital syphilis with the attendant health risks including intrauterine death. This study was carried out to determine the seroprevalence among pregnant women attending antenatal care unit of two tertiary care facilities in South Western Nigeria. Study Design: A Cross-sectional study was carried out. Place and Duration of Study: LAUTECH Teaching Hospital, Osogbo and State Specialist Hospital, Osogbo, Nigeria from October 2012 to May 2013. Methodology: Three hundred and ninety-four pregnant women were recruited for this cross-sectional descriptive study carried out from October 2012 to May 2013. A semistructured questionnaire for socio-demographic information was administered and venous blood samples collected after obtaining informed consent and giving a health talk on mother-to-child transmission of Human Immunodeficiency Virus. Screening for syphilis was done using the qualitative Rapid Plasma Reagin (RPR) test. All reactive sera then had their RPR titre quantified. The confirmatory test for reactive sera was carried out using the Treponema pallidum haemagglutination (TPHA) test. Results: Eight (2%) of the 394 samples were reactive for RPR; while 4(1.0%) were positive for THPA, giving a 1.0% seroprevalence rate. Out of all the women positive for RPR, most (75%) were without any formal education while the remaining 2 had only primary education. All 4 samples that were confirmed positive by THPA were from women with no formal education. Of the 8 positive sample for RPR titre values ranged from 1:2 to 1;8 with higher titres found in those that were TPHA positive. Conclusion: Even though the study recorded low prevalence rate of syphilis in both facilities, it is important to note that the cases were asymptomatic. Therefore routine screening for syphilis in antenatal clinic should be encouraged to prevent mother to child transmission of syphilis.
ABSTRACT
There is an understanding that greater availability of HIV treatment for the 40.3 million people currently infected with HIV is a humanitarian imperative that could prolong the lives of millions; restore economic productivity; and stabilise societies in some of the world's hardest-hit regions. The Nigerian government recognises that the country has the third highest burden of infection; with people living with HIV estimated to total 4.0 million; and so in 2002 commenced the implementation of one of Africa's largest antiretroviral (ARV) treatment programmes. A successful ARV programme requires that all components of a functional management system be put in place for effective and efficient functioning. This would include logistics; human resources; financial planning; and monitoring and evaluation systems; as well as sustainable institutional capacities. The Nigerian national ARV treatment training programme was conceived to meet the human resource needs in hospitals providing ARV therapy. This paper reports on the evaluation of the training programme. It examines knowledge and skills gained; and utilisation thereof. Recommendations are made for improved training effectiveness and for specific national policy on training; to meet the demand for scaling up therapy to the thousands who need ARV