Seroprevalenc of HIV/AIDS among pregnant Sudanese women

The prevalence of HIV/AIDS in the Sudan is 1.6-6.0%. With the advent of peace, the disease is expected to be on the rise. The objective of the study is to assess the prevalence of HIV/AIDS in pregnant Sudanese women so as to prevent Mother-to-Child Transmission. In a pilot study conducted at antenatal clinics in 5 Sudanese Teaching Hospitals, five teams were trained in the basic skills of counseling, diagnosis and management of HIV/AIDS. Rapid Test [Uni-gold HIV-1/HIV-2], Serodia HIV-1/2, and Western blot [INNP-LIA HIV-1/2 SCORE] tests were used. The prevalence of HIV/AIDS was found to be 0.8%. This pilot study led to establishment of seven Antenatal clinics for prevention of mother_to-child transmission in different parts of the country. Qualified teams composed of an Obstetrician, Paediatrician, pharmacist, Social worker, Health visitor, midwife, Laboratory Technician and a counselor provided counseling, testing and management for pregnant women and children of HIVpositive mothers. 57793 pregnant women attended antenatal clinics during the period August 2007-August 2008. Out of these 25941 [44.9%] were counseled; however only 5959 [23.0%] accepted to be tested for HIV. 39 positive cases were found, making the prevalence rate of 0.65%. Patients were managed and the babies were given antiretroviral treatment. Breast feeding was advised. Although the prevalence of HIV/AIDS is about 1.6-6% in the country, it is still low in pregnant women. A great effort should be done on Voluntary Counseling and Testing [VCT]; and effective preventive measures should be taken

effect of physical activity during pregnancy on preterm delivery and birth weight

A historical cohort study was carried out to assess the impact of employment during pregnancy on the foetal birth weight and the duration of pregnancy. 517 pregnant Sudanese women with singleton uncomplicated pregnancies and certain dates were studied, 131 had been employed during current pregnancy. Employment was associated with a preterm delivery of 6.9% compared to 4.9% in housewives, a difference, which is not statistically significant. However post term delivery is significantly increased in housewives. 9.3% compared to 2.3% in the employees. There was no significant deference in the birth weight of the two groups. Working duration in terms of total number of calendar months worked, or working hours per week was associated with a non- significant increase of preterm labour and low birth weight in working mothers. Feeling of fatigue was significantly associated with decreased pregnancy duration and low birth weight among both employed and unemployed housewives. It is concluded that employment during pregnancy does not precipitate preterm delivery, or result in preterm babies