ASSESSMENT OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF PREVENTION OF MOTHER-TO- CHILD TRANSMISSION (PMTCT) OF HIV PROGRAM IN A TERTIARY HEALTH INSTITUTION IN SOUTH EAST, NIGERIA

Abstract

Intro: Effective prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) of HIV requires women–infant pairs to access all relevant interventions such as antiretroviral treatment (ART) for the mother, a short course of ARV drugs, and appropriate feeding practices for the baby. We set out to explore the effectiveness of PMTCT in the HIV program in NAUTH Nnewi, southeastern Nigeria. Methods: We conducted a retrospective secondary data analysis of 181 mother-infant pair data sets from 2020 to 2022. Data were extracted from the Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) LAMIS software and the PCR Laboratory's LIMS and analyzed. Mother/infant antiretroviral (ARV), viral load, feeding practices, and the outcomes were reviewed to assess the effectiveness of the PMTCT Program in the center. Findings: Of the 181 recruited HEIs, 93.4% (169/181) received ARV prophylaxis (six weeks AZT/NVP), while 6.6% (12/181) received nothing. The prevalence of HIV among the HIV Exposed Infants (HEI) was 4.4%. About 77.9 % (141/181) of children received breast milk while 22.1% (40/181) did not. Approximately 5.0% (7/141) and 2.5% (1/40) of infants who received, and did not receive breast milk tested positive for HIV, respectively. The prevalence of positive infant PCR tests was lower among mothers who received HAART before pregnancy (1; 0.6%) and during pregnancy (3; 1.6%) compared with HAART naïve mothers (4; 2.2%). The percentage of mothers with viral suppression was 86.7% (157/181). The frequency of MTCT was lower among mothers with viral suppression (1.3%; 2/157) compared with their unsuppressed counterparts 25% (6/24). Conclusion: This study suggests that PMTCT services help reduce the prevalence of HIV among HEI. Hence, women living with HIV should receive HAART before pregnancy and during a delivery while, HEI should receive a timely ARV chemoprophylaxis.