HIV-1 seroprevalence and awareness of mother-to-child transmission issues among women seeking antenatal care in Tamil Nadu, India.
BACKGROUND
Despite increasing availability of HIV-1 testing, education, and methods to prevent transmission, Indian women and their children remain at risk of acquiring HIV. We assessed the seroprevalence and awareness about HIV among pregnant women presenting to a private tertiary care hospital in South India.


METHODS
Seroprevalence was determined via enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) testing, and questionnaires were analyzed using chi-square statistics and odds ratios to look for factors associated with HIV positivity.


RESULTS
A total of 7956 women who presented for antenatal care were interviewed. Fifty-one women of the 7235 women who underwent HIV testing (0.7%) were found to be HIV positive. Awareness of mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of HIV (64%), HIV transmission through breast milk (42%), and prevention of MTCT (13%) was low.


CONCLUSIONS
There is a need to educate South Indian women about HIV to give them information and the means to protect themselves and their unborn children from acquiring HIV.
Department of Medicine, Warren Alpert Medical School at Brown University, Providence, RI, USA. jacqfirt@gmail.com
Jacqueline
J
Firth
L
L
Jeyaseelan
Sheeba
S
Christina
Venisa
V
Vonbara
Visalaksi
V
Jeyaseelan
Sujitha
S
Elan
Sulochana
S
Abraham
Inbakumar
I
Joseph
Shoba
S
David
Susan
S
Cu-Uvin
Mark
M
Lurie
Christine
C
Wanke
Jessie
J
Lionel
D015492:AIDS Serodiagnosis; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000635:transmission / Q000821:virology; D015528:HIV Seroprevalence; D015497:HIV-1; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007194:India / Q000453:epidemiology; D018445:Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical / Q000517:prevention & control*; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care; D011247:Pregnancy; D011251:Pregnancy Complications, Infectious / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000821:virology; D011295:Prenatal Care; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult