Seroprevalence of Human Immunodeficiency Virus among Antenatal Women in a Tertiary Care Hospital, India

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection israpidly increasing in world as well as in India since thedetection of first acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS)case in Chennai in 1986. Having seroprevalence rate of lessthan 1%, India is considered as low prevalence country but dueto large population this low prevalence convert in a hugesubset of HIV positive people. Unfortunately India shares onethird of total HIV positive cases of the world. Estimating the HIVseroprevalence in a low risk population of pregnant womenprovides vital information for the successful implementation ofAIDS control program and also for monitoring trend of HIV ingeneral population. Therefore, screening of pregnant women inearly pregnancy may help in prompt counselling and therapy,thereby bringing down the mother to child transmission of HIVinfection.Objective: To determine the rate and trends of seroprevalenceof HIV among antenatal women.Materials and Methods: It is a retrospective study conductedat PPTCT centre, Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences(RIMS), Ranchi, a tertiary care referral hospital in Jharkhandstate of India from January 2014 to December 2016.The testswere done as per NACO guidelines using COMBAIDS-RSAdvantage-ST, HIV-1/2 TRISPOT and MERISCREEN HIV 1-2WB tests.Results: 19266 antenatal women were included in this study.Out of this 57 women were detected to be positive for HIV,accounting for 0.32% prevalence rate. HIV seroprevalenceamongst antenatal women is 0.32% which is in agreement withthe national projection (0.29% as per NACO annual report2014-2015). HIV seroprevalence rates showed a decreasingtrend from 0.32% in 2014 to 0.16% in 2016.Conclusion: Every antenatal woman should be screened forHIV. Appropriate antenatal screening, interventions andpreventive strategies might bring down the mother to childtransmission of HIV.