importance of HIV antenatal screening programs for pregnant women

ABSTRACT

To investigate retrospectively the prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus [HIV]-1 and among pregnant women during a 10-year period. The total number of pregnant women attending the Sultan Qaboos University Hospital [SQUH]. Muscat, Oman between January 1995 and December 2005 was 11553 women. Their age range was 16-45 years [average of 28.6 +/- 7.6 years]. The women were tested for HIV- 1 and 2 using the standard enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay [ELISA]. Positive samples were further tested by Western Blot. The data were statistically analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences Version 10.0. By ELISA testing, 21 women were positive for HIV-1 [prevalence rate 0.2%] and 3 women were weakly positive for HIV-1 [24 women; 0.2% prevalence rate]. However, 15 women were confirmed HIV- 1 positive using the Western Blot method [prevalence rate 0.13%] with an average of 1.5 positive women per year. None of the women were found positive for HIV-2. This relatively high prevalence of HIV-1 among pregnant women attending SQUH, highlights the need for screening all pregnant women attending different hospitals and antenatal clinics in Oman. This is essential for preventing the transmission of HIV-1 and 2 to the infants and to the community, and for the appropriate medical treatment and counseling of affected women